A HIGHER proportion of people in ‘at risk’ groups were vaccinated against flu in Gwent last winter, than in any other part of Wales.

The area also had the third highest uptake in Wales of flu vaccination among people aged 65 and over.

But in both cases the uptake in Gwent was lower than in 2014/15 - and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is looking at ways of boosting uptake for 2016/17.

The board will also try to boost flu vaccine uptake among NHS staff in Gwent, after almost 60 per cent went unprotected last year.

Almost half (49.3 per cent) of the more than 71,000 people in Gwent who are in ‘at risk’ groups for flu received the vaccine last year.

Although this was above the all-Wales average uptake for 2015/16 (46.8 per cent), it was down on the 52.9 per cent uptake in Gwent in 2014/15.

‘At risk’ groups include people with diabetes, heart, kidney and liver problems, respiratory diseases, and those whose immune systems may have been suppressed due to illness or treatments.

Among the ‘at risk’ groups in Gwent, there were noticeable differences in uptake however. While 63 per cent of chronic diabetes patients under 65 years old were vaccinated against flu, just 34.4 per cent of people under 65 and classed as morbidly obese received the vaccine.

There was also a low uptake of flu vaccine among pregnant women in Gwent (38.4 per cent). The health board is working with GP practices to try to boost this figure, by improving the availability of practice nurses who can administer flu vaccine, when women attend antenatal clinics.

Among NHS staff, the target for Wales is that 50 per cent are vaccinated. In Gwent last year, 40.9 per cent of health board staff - more than 5,600 people - received a flu jab, a slight increase on the previous year.

The health board wants to improve again this year, and is looking at creating flu ‘champions’ across the organisation to drive uptake.

It also wants to make getting the vaccine more convenient for staff, and is set to have more nurses trained to administer it.