HEALTH chiefs were celebrating yesterday after their trust was named as one of the best in the country for flu vaccination rates.

The uptake figures for last winter have placed the Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust in the top three nationally for vaccinations for people over 65.

It is the third year in a row that the trust has been singled out for praise, and local health chiefs have put down this success to the hard work of GP practices and primary care staff.

The trust's figure of 78.1 per cent exceeded the Government target of 70 per cent. Of the 18 GP practices in the area, eight achieved figures of 80 per cent or more, eight exceeded their own performance for 2003, and all 18 exceeded the national target.

Director of public health Dr Phil Kirby said: "This is an excellent level of overall uptake, which reflects a lot of hard work by staff in our local GP practices.

"Flu vaccination provides good protection, and we are keen to see a similar result for the coming winter, when the new round of flu vaccinations starts from September onwards."

Pharmaceutical advisor Ken Latta said: "After several years of campaigning for older people to take advantage of the free vaccination, we can see that getting the flu jab is something which is becoming a regular part of most older peoples' routines once autumn comes along.

"Younger people with at-risk conditions are also receiving the vaccine in large numbers."

Last winter's campaign initially experienced delays, when a problem with suppliers led to a shortage of vaccine stocks.

But Mr Latta said: "Fortunately, we had in place contingency plans and, thanks to the hard work of our staff, we were able to minimise the impact any delay would have had on our flu programme."

Last year, the flu jab campaign particularly encouraged people with chronic conditions, as well as people 65 and older, to protect themselves.

The Department of Health has been measuring the uptake of the flu jab.