The Chief Medical Officer is among a group of leading doctors and nurses who have written to NHS staff urging them to get vaccinated as soon as possible to help reduce the spread of flu.

The letter reminds healthcare workers of the key role they play ‘in protecting the health of the public’. It states their ‘shared professional responsibility’ to protect patients.

It is signed by Professor Dame Sally Davies (England’s Chief Medical Officer), Professor Sir Bruce Keogh (NHSE Medical Director), Professor Paul Cosford (PHE Medical Director) and Professor Jane Cummings (NHSE Chief Nursing Officer).

Across the NHS, 59% of staff have had the vaccine but in some Trusts less than 3 in 10 staff are protected.

Statistics last week showed:

• an 86% increase in people newly admitted to intensive care (ICU) with confirmed influenza from the previous week (114 compared to 61 the week before)
• 114 people were admitted to ICU with flu, compared to 78 cases of at this time last year, and 35 in 2015/16.
• a 3-fold increase in the rate of people admitted to hospital with confirmed flu since the previous week (6.8 per 100,000 compared to 2.33 per 100,000 before)

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer said:

Flu can kill and it is important we all take it seriously.

The best way to protect yourself and those around you is to get the flu jab. If you are suffering from flu-like symptoms you should catch your coughs or sneezes in tissues, bin the tissue immediately, and wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England Medical Director said:

The recent flu figures are a reminder that NHS staff should protect themselves, patients and their loved ones by getting vaccinated. We should have a measured debate about making this the norm for doctors, nurses and other frontline NHS staff before next winter.

The 2018 Clinical Excellence Awards round will open on Tuesday 13 February and close at 5pm on Thursday 12 April.

ACCEA will accept applications for new national awards and from those due to renew their award in 2018. Consultants will need to put in a renewal application if:

• they received their current award in the 2014 round
• their award was last renewed in 2013 (awarded in 2009, 2004, 1999)

In some cases, consultants will be renewing out of the usual cycle. Awards are reviewed earlier if there is a change in job or a significant change in job plan.

We will publish 2018 application guidance ahead of the round opening.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, today met with the Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Suresh Prabhu, to discuss greater cooperation between the 2 countries and identify barriers to trade and investment that must be addressed in order to boost future prosperity.

Ministers were joined by a delegation of senior UK and Indian officials for the 12th meeting of the UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), which will build on progress made by the UK-India trade working group that was established in 2016.

Dr Fox announced that the national export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF), has more than doubled its financial support to enable UK businesses to trade with India. It means £4.5 billion will now be available for UK companies exporting to India as well as Indian buyers of UK goods and services.

India and the UK already enjoy a strong trading relationship, worth £15.7 billion in 2016, with UK exports to India amounting to £5.8 billion. Indian foreign direct investment (FDI) in the UK was worth £1.5 billion in 2016, while UK investment into India rose to £13.2 billion in 2016.

There is huge potential to expand bilateral trade and investment as the UK prepares to leave the European Union.

UK and Indian businesses, including UK engineering consultancy Arup and Indian infrastructure firm Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), also met alongside the JETCO to discuss ways of boosting co-operation in growing sectors such as advanced manufacturing and smart cities.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

I am delighted to be meeting with the Indian Minister and business leaders today, to map out how we will build a stronger trading relationship between our 2 nations. India is the world’s seventh-largest economy and the fourth largest investor into the UK, while UK investment in India grew by 8.8% in the year to 2016.

For the first time in 40 years, the UK is preparing for its own independent trade policy, and expanding our bilateral trade and investment with India will be central to that task. It’s in our shared interest to boost prosperity, generate jobs, develop skills, and enhance the competitiveness of both our countries.

As an international economic department, we will continue to work closely with the Indian government to break down the barriers to boosting trade. That includes more than doubling trade finance support for UK exporters and Indian buyers of our goods and services.

Following the talks, the ministers issued a joint statement setting out their vision for a continued trading partnership in which the 2 governments and businesses work hand-in-hand to achieve shared prosperity.

Notes to editors

UKEF support is made available in Indian rupees, allowing Indian buyers to access finance in their own currency and making sourcing from the UK even more competitive.

The UK will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April, where 52 Heads of State and thousands of businesses will be in attendance. India will be central to UK efforts to reenergise the Commonwealth, representing over half its population, a huge growing economy and the world’s largest democracy.

Thank you very much. I’m really going to echo what Sigmar Gabriel and Jean-Yves Le Drian have already said. This was a very important meeting. It’s very important that as Europeans we come together to express a common view. That is, number one, that we greatly value the JCPoA, the nuclear deal with Iran, we think it is a considerable diplomatic accomplishment. It’s a way of stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. As my colleagues have said, Iran is in compliance with this agreement according to the International Atomic Energy Authority, and that is very, very important to us. But it is also clearly important to build worldwide support for this deal and that Iran should be able to show, as my colleagues have said, that it is a good neighbour in the region. That’s why it’s legitimate and right that we should, in parallel, not connected with the JCPoA, but in parallel, focus on what Iran can do to resolve the appalling crisis in Yemen, to help push forward a peace in Syria and to help resolve other questions in the region. I want to stress, just in conclusion, that I don’t think anybody has so far produced a better alternative to the JCPoA as a way of preventing the Iranians from going ahead with their acquisition of a nuclear capability. I don’t think anybody has come up with a better idea. And I think it is incumbent on those who oppose the JCPoA to come up with that better solution, because we haven’t seen it so far. I also think that if we can keep the deal going, which I very much hope that we can, that the Iranian people should see the economic benefits that will flow from the JCPoA. And that’s why the UK Government together with our friends and partners in France and Germany, and of course other EU countries and [EU High Representative] Federica Mogherini, will continue to work for the continuation of the JCPoA.

Published 11 January 2018

The latest Public health England (PHE) statistics published at 14.00 today show that seasonal flu levels have continued to increase in the last week across the UK.

The statistics show over the last week there has been a 78% increase in the GP consultation rate with flu like illness, a 50% increase in the flu hospitalisation rate, and a 65% increase in the flu intensive care admission rate. The main strains circulating continue to be flu A(H3N2), A(H1N1) and Flu B.

PHE and the Department for Health this morning launched the ‘Catch It, Bin It, Kill It’ campaign. The campaign includes radio, press and digital advertising to inform the public about the steps they can take to protect themselves and reduce spread of the virus by practising good respiratory hand hygiene. Dr Paul Cosford, Medical Director of PHE, Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director of NHS England and the Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies have also written to all frontline healthcare workers to encourage them to take up the offer of the vaccine if they haven’t already.

The flu virus can live for many hours on hard surfaces and therefore practising good hand hygiene can limit the spread of germs and transmission of flu. People are advised to catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue, bin it, and then wash their hands afterwards to kill the germs. Practising good hand hygiene and giving eligible people the flu vaccine is the best defence against the virus.

Professor Paul Cosford, Medical Director, Public Health England said:

Our data shows that more people are visiting GPs with flu symptoms and we are seeing more people admitted to hospital with flu.

We are currently seeing a mix of flu types, including the A(H3N2) strain that circulated last winter in the UK and then in Australia. The A(H3N2) strain particularly affects older, more vulnerable age groups.

We encourage anyone who is eligible to take up their offer of the flu vaccine – it is not too late. People suffering with flu-like symptoms should catch coughs or sneezes in tissues and bin them immediately, wash their hands regularly with soap and warm water and frequently clean regularly used surfaces to stop the spread of flu. Avoid having unnecessary contact with other people if you or they have symptoms of flu.

Seasonal flu usually circulates for several weeks each year. The intensity of circulation depends upon the underlying population immunity, the circulating viruses and external factors such as the weather. It is an unpredictable virus and it is not possible to anticipate how flu levels will progress.

Amongst other diseases like norovirus that normally increase during winter, seasonal flu puts extra pressure on the NHS every year.

The latest data is available online. Currently, 71.3% of adults over 65, 46.9% of adults with a long-term health condition, 45.5% of pregnant women, 40.8% of 3-year-olds and 42% of 2-year-olds have received the vaccine.