§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has given to local primary care trusts on the provision of influenza jabs to carers. [146453]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonGuidance has been issued on the immunisation of health and social care staffs who are recommended to receive flu vaccine. Carers are not routinely offered flu vaccination but general practitioners retain the discretion to give the vaccine to their patients based on an individual assessment of need.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged 65 years and over have received the influenza vaccine(a) in England and (b) broken down by (i) primary care trust and (ii) strategic health authority in each year since 2001. [147183]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe total number of people aged 65 and over who received flu immunisation in England in 2001 was 5,113,036 and in 2002 was 5,487,645. The data for 2003 is not yet available.
Information on the number of people aged 65 and over receiving flu immunisation by primary care trust and strategic health authority since 2001 has been placed in the Library.