Doctors and leading nurses are among the first people in Bristol to receive swine flu vaccinations.

Staff from Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) and its associated sites were given their jabs during a special session yesterday.

The matrons and heads of nursing will be among the staff vaccinating their colleagues and patients as the vaccination programme is rolled out across hospitals.

Jane Palmer, head of nursing for surgery head and neck, which includes the intensive care unit and high dependency unit and theatres at the BRI and St Michael's, was among the nurses who received the jabs yesterday.

She said: "I am going to be going out and spreading the word making sure other people are having it done.

"I think the biggest fear is that swine flu will take hold and frontline workers will go off sick and the NHS will struggle to keep going."

Pat Fields, who is in charge of flu pandemic planning at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the BRI and other city centre hospitals, said that it was important that heads of nursing and consultants for bone marrow transplants were having their vaccines.

Deputy director of public health at NHS South West, Dr Julia Verne, said the start of the vaccination programme was an important moment because of the risk of swine flu but also historic, because it was the first time a vaccine has been developed in the early stages of a worldwide pandemic.

She said: "It is incredible that it has been possible to produce a vaccine so quickly and a vaccine that is very safe."