Concern Brummies will end up in hospital over 'preventable' illness

Health chiefs fear people from parts of Birmingham will end up in hospital due to a lack of uptake of flu jabs. Last week, NHS Birmingham and Solihull launched it's six-week 'Breathe Easy' campaign urging eligible residents to get vaccinated against respiratory diseases such as flu, Covid and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

But bosses said the take up rates of vaccines are varying between different areas with some more than 30 per cent higher than other parts of the city. At a board meeting on Monday (November 11), NHS Birmingham and Solihull chief executive David Melbourne said, as of Sunday, 28 per cent of the eligible population had been vaccinated, slightly less than the 29 per cent at the same point last year.

He added take up ranged from 44 per cent in parts of Solihull to just 10 per cent in Washwood Heath. He said: "The Breathe Easy campaign we are doing is incredibly important to go and reach those communities.

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"There is a 33 per cent difference between parts of Solihull and Washwood Heath in vaccinations. Many of those people will end up at to Heartlands Hospital."

Across Birmingham and Solihull there are 221,000 adults aged 65 years and over who are eligible for a Covid and flu vaccination. There are over 150,000 residents who are aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk group who would benefit from the protection of both Covid and flu vaccinations.

But bosses say people could die or become seriously ill with respiratory illnesses which could have been avoided with a jab. They also predict around 3,500 GP appointments and 10,000 hospital admissions across Birmingham and Solihull will be taken up unnecessarily.

When the Breathe Easy campaign was launched Dr Clara Day, Birmingham and Solihull’s Medical Director said: "Vaccination is the best form of defence against flu, Covid and RSV. No one wants to be admitted to hospital for an illness that could have been entirely preventable.

"We need people to take advantage of the vaccinations that are available to them this winter and do all they can to protect themselves and those around them from these potentially serious and sometimes fatal infections."