DOCTORS, researchers and patients have joined forces for a new network to promote better healthcare for children.

Yesterday the Oxford Academic Health and Science Network (Oxford AHSN), based in Oxford Science Park, sought to highlight key priorities, such as flu vaccinations.

It has called for a new push to vaccinate 40 per cent of children in Oxfordshire against the virus.

In some areas, fewer than 10 per cent of children have been vaccinated, the organisation said.

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Protecting the young also reduces the chance of the elderly, who have a higher mortality rate, from catching the flu, said children’s clinical network leader Professor Andrew Pollard.

He said: “We want to improve the health of our children in this region, and that involves work with hospitals and communities.”

The Oxford AHSN’s new network will also cover Berkshire, Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire, where it launched the initiative.

It will aim to provide better care for children in hospitals, Prof Pollard said, and also reduce the time they spend there.



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