A CARE trust is going one step further to protect its elderly residents this winter by aiming to get its whole workforce vaccinated against the flu.

The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) is offering its staff, including those who are not frontline care workers, a free vaccination in a bid to prevent an epidemic from breaking out in one of its care homes.

The trust has decided to focus on its staff to stop the spread of germs from colleagues to residents and also residents' families.

Care director, Jo Blackburn, said she used a lot of glitter to make her point to colleagues about the importance of flu jabs for the workforce.

She said: "We had a meeting a few weeks back and I covered the desks in glitter.

"I then asked those to stand up who had contact on a day to day basis with residents.

"About a third of the people did. Then I asked people to stand up who had contact with someone else.

"There was glitter literally everywhere and I told them to imagine this glitter is the flu – it can get everywhere.

"I think that really made them sit up and think about what we needed to do to protect our residents."

The trust will be issuing staff with a letter and a voucher for them to get their free flu jab.

Mrs Blackburn, who is also a registered nurse, added: "It is our responsibility to ensure we provide the highest standard of care possible for our residents

"We have the absolute privilege of going into their home to care for them.

"We will not be able to provide that standard of care if our nurses are off sick with the flu and we have to bring in agency staff who do not know them at all."

Already, OSJCT staff working in the trust's Witney office have already been over to neighbouring Sainsbury's to get vaccinated.

Mrs Blackburn said: "It is great to see them nipping across the road on their lunch breaks.

"We hope as many of our staff as possible take up this free vaccination."

Chief executive of the trust, Dan Hayes, rolled up his sleeves for a jab on Wednesday at the Isis Court care home in Cornwallis Road, Florence Park.

He said: "We have a responsibility to publicise the need for the flu vaccination.

"We want our residents, their loves ones and all of our colleagues to get the jab and we are doing all we can to help them.

"Older people are particularly vulnerable to contracting the flu and it can be nasty for them.

"That is why we want to do all we can to make sure our care homes are as well protected as possible."