STAFF at two hospitals have released their own version of The Proclaimers' 500 miles to promote flu jabs.

The You Tube video shows staff at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust singing "5,000 jabs" to the catchy tune, to try to convince staff to have the flu jab.

Health and wellbeing lead Jill Ness, who wrote the lyrics to the song and is leading the flu campaign said: “We wanted to do something different to get the message across this year.

“Every year, we talk to our staff about getting the flu jab and encourage them to protect themselves, their patients and their families by having the vaccination.

“The song is fun, but it has a really important message. Flu can affect anyone, not just the elderly. People can often make the mistake of thinking they’re fit and healthy so flu won’t affect them, but just a few years ago the flu outbreak claimed more than 600 lives in the UK, with more than 70 per cent of the deaths among 15 to 64 year olds.

“Our message to staff is to get the flu jab because it’s the right thing to do.”

See the video on The Northern Echo website at