FEWER health and social care workers are getting vaccinated against ‘flu in Wales, which one health board said appeared to lead to higher sickness absence.
Getting the jab is not mandatory but NHS Wales encourages health and social care workers to have it, and numbers do fluctuate within health boards.
Health agency Public Health Wales said immunisation among staff generally has fallen since 2020-21.
Just under 33% of Swansea Bay University Health Board staff took up a free flu vaccine offer in 2024-25 compared to 54% and just over 43% in the previous two years.
Just under 38% of Hywel Dda University Health Board were vaccinated in 2024-25 – this was 6% more than the previous year. It didn’t hold information for the year before that.
The two health boards’ figures were provided following a Freedom of Information Request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Vaccine uptake differed among staff groups. At Swansea Bay University Health Board, for example, just under 35% of registered nurses and midwives were immunised in 2024-25 – around 3% more than medical and dental staff. The highest uptake – just over 41% – was among scientific and technical staff.
At Hywel Dda University Health Board, 54% of medical and dental staff were vaccinated against ‘flu compared to just under 38% of nurses and midwives last year. The rate among scientific and technical staff was just over 41%.
The two health boards explained what they did to encourage vaccine uptake, such as out-of-hours and drop-in clinics. Asked if a lower uptake led to increased sickness absence, Hywel Dda said this appeared to be the case.
“The staff group with the highest sickness absence did have the lowest ‘flu vaccine uptake and the staff with the highest flu vaccine uptake had the lowest sickness absence during the period from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025,” it said.
However, it pointed out that flu sickness absences were recorded along with coughs and colds rather than having their own category.
Swansea Bay University Health Board said there was insufficient data to accurately link a low uptake with higher sickness absence, but said it could increase the risk of flu transmission and impacts on staffing levels.
Public Health Wales said flu vaccine take-up among health and social care workers has declined since a peak in 2020-21. Chris Johnson, the agency’s head of vaccine preventable disease programme, said having the jab reduced the risk to people frontline workers cared for and helped keep services resilient during the winter.
“Declining flu vaccination uptake in health and social care staff is therefore a concern,” he said.
Mr Johnson said flu constantly evolved and that strains targeted in vaccines were recommended by the World Health Organisation based on data from around the world.
‘Flu vaccine efficacy, he said, was complicated as it depended on the groups receiving it, such as children or elderly people, the type of virus and the type of vaccine. Mr Johnson said in a normal ‘flu season vaccines were 40% to 70% effective at preventing hospital admission.
Nursing union RCN said it encouraged members to have vaccines as part of workplace risk assessments but that they must not be mandatory.
Nicky Hughes, RCN’s associate director of nursing, said: “Some nursing staff may choose not to have the vaccine for personal reasons, and some may have vaccine fatigue.
“Nurses and health care support workers constantly report excessive workloads and often don’t even get the opportunity to take a break during their shifts, so NHS organisations need to ensure easy access to vaccines, that they are provided as close to the working environment as possible, and that staff are given dedicated time to attend.”
Doctors’ union the BMA said flu vaccination was not something it had worked on since a 2020 campaign to improve immunisation uptake.
The Welsh Government said health and social care workers played a vital role in Wales. A spokeswoman said: “We encourage NHS staff to take up the ‘flu vaccine offer. It is free, safe and the best way to safeguard your own health, along with your loved ones and protect the patients in your care.”
