Hannah Denness, 5 August 2021
Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) has worked with Public Health England (PHE) to update the Flu Immunisation elearning programme to ensure it is up to date for the 2021/22 flu season.
With the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever that this year’s annual flu vaccination programme is safely and effectively delivered to as many of those eligible as possible to protect those at risk.
Mathematical modelling has suggested that the forthcoming flu season could be up to 50% larger than typically seen in previous years and may also begin earlier than usual.
It is expected that the seasonal influenza virus will co-circulate with the COVID-19 virus during this winter and, as influenza activity levels were extremely low during the 2020/21 flu season, it is expected that there will be lower population immunity against influenza.
As social mixing and social contact returns towards pre-pandemic norms, it is crucial that those giving flu vaccines are confident, competent and have up to date knowledge about the vaccine(s) they are giving.
The Flu Immunisation elearning resource is designed to provide all healthcare practitioners involved in delivering the national flu immunisation programme with the knowledge they need to confidently promote high uptake of flu vaccination and administer the flu vaccines to those who need them.
The elearning course consists of 3 knowledge sessions and 3 assessment sessions. All those undertaking this elearning should complete the Core Knowledge session and accompanying assessment as this is designed to provide essential knowledge about what flu is and the rationale for, and design of, the annual flu programme. Depending on which session(s) is relevant to your role, you should then complete one or both subsequent knowledge and assessment sessions which provide more detailed information about the live and inactivated flu vaccines.
The Flu Immunisation programme is available to access on the elfh hub, ESR and via AICC links. For more information about the programme, including details on how to access, visit: www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/flu-immunisation/.
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