Giving healthcare workers flu vaccinations has been proven to save the lives of their elderly patients.

In what is believed to be the first research of its kind, hospitals which actively encouraged their staff to have the vaccinations were compared with those which did nothing.

The study, published in the Lancet medical journal, found that there were more than 50% more deaths in hospitals with untreated staff, during the winter period examined.

The authors suggest that the increased resistance to flu among treated staff meant that fewer potentially deadly infections were passed on to vulnerable patients.

The findings have been described as "pivotal" by a leading UK toxicologist, who strongly supports doctors, nurses and other hospital and care home workers having the jabs.

Professor John Oxford, professor of virology at the Royal London Hospital, said: "This research appears to break new ground.

"It's a sensible idea that health staff are vaccinated and I'm not surprised about the data revealed here.

"The Department of Health did try to encourage area health authorities to vaccinate their staff this year, but I'm not sure all that many already do.

"We have all been a bit relaxed about it."

'No compulsion'

"I do not think you can make it compulsory, but evidence like this will help health workers themselves decide it is a good idea."

The researchers examined almost 1,500 elderly patients in a variety of hospitals.

They found that 102 out of 749 died in those which encouraged vaccination, whereas 154 out of 688 died in those which did not.

However, despite this difference, overall proportion of patients infected with flu did not differ between them.

Flu is one of the leading causes of death in elderly people during the winter months.

They, along with people with existing respiratory problems are encouraged to have flu vaccinations themselves to reduce the chances of developing an infection