Just 60 per cent of nurses, doctors and clinical staff at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust had the free flu jab last winter.

Double the number of vaccinators have been brought in this winter in a bid to drive up the number of front line staff getting the flu jab in Wiltshire.

A senior Unison worker blamed the low figure on worker's fears of an allergic reaction or fear of needles.

Of the 3,068 frontline staff, 1,225 did not have the flu jab last winter and they have now been encouraged to get vaccinated ahead of cold weather.

Unison head of health Sara Gorton said: “Some struggle to get teams who are trained to administer the jab to staff working in remote or varied locations. Healthcare staff may choose not to get the jab for fear of allergic reactions, or a phobia around needles.”

Deputy director of nursing for Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, Alan Metherall, said: “We take the health and wellbeing of our staff and service users very seriously and last winter we vaccinated 60per cent of our frontline staff. We take steps to ensure that having a flu vaccination is as easy as possible. We have a multi-professional flu fighting team, with more than 80 vaccinators, almost doubling the number we had last year.

"They work hard across a wide geographical area operating clinics for staff, as well as service users who have long term physical health conditions and may be at risk of getting the flu. This year we have two types of vaccine, one for staff who are over 65 and one for those under 65. We have more clinics than last year arranged, with staff able to book appointments, drop in when convenient and take part during their shift.”

PHE medical director Professor Paul Cosford said: “There is a dual responsibility on trusts and healthcare workers to get rates as high as possible.”

Nationally 65 per cent of front line NHS staff received the jab last winter.

Chief nurse for NHS England Professor Jane Cummings said that “myths” persist around the flu vaccine, with the “big one” being that it gives people the flu.

She said: “By getting vaccinated against flu, healthcare workers can protect themselves, their families, colleagues and patients, making sure we have a healthy workforce and helping to reduce the pressure on services over winter.”

Deputy director of nursing for Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP), Alan Metherall, said: “We take the health and wellbeing of our staff and service users very seriously and last winter we vaccinated 60per cent of our frontline staff. We take steps to ensure that having a flu vaccination is as easy as possible. We have a multi-professional flu fighting team, with more than 80 vaccinators, almost doubling the number we had last year.

"They work hard across a wide geographical area operating clinics for staff, as well as service users who have long term physical health conditions and may be at risk of getting the flu. This year we have two types of vaccine, one for staff who are over 65 and one for those under 65. We have more clinics than last year arranged, with staff able to book appointments, drop in when convenient and take part during their shift.”