Cheers as care home residents among first to be given vaccine for Covid-19
CHEERS and celebrations were the order of the day at a Derbyshire care home, as residents became among the first in the county to be vaccinated for Covid-19.
Ashbourne Lodge received its first delicate shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday, marking a new chapter in the story of the pandemic, as more care homes across the county will follow suit.
The care home in Derby Road, Ashbourne, which has 57 residents, has been working with local GPs to oversee the delivery of the vaccine, which has to be transported and stored in dry ice.
Dr Penny Blackwell, a rural GP at Hannage Brook Medical Centre in Wirksworth and clinical lead for the South Dales area for NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said she was pleased to see the county’s first vaccinations in care homes.
She said: “People living in care homes are among the most vulnerable in society to this virus, and so many have not seen their loved ones for many months.
“Groups of people across Derbyshire, in the care homes and across several partner organisations have worked really hard to make this happen this week. It really is a proud moment.”
Vaccinations in care homes are being carried out by DHU Healthcare, in conjunction with Derbyshire Dales Primary Care Network.
The network is a collaboration of 13 GP practices, while DHU provides a range of healthcare services across the East Midlands, including out-of-hours and integrated urgent care.
DHU’s deputy director of urgent care, Kirsty Osborn, said she was delighted DHU was able to play such an important role in the vaccination process.
She said: “I’m delighted we have overcome the challenges of carrying out these vaccinations. It’s a wonderful feeling to know we are helping to protect care home residents like this.”
Vaccinations will be rolled out to more care homes over the coming days and weeks, as the vaccination programme continues to build momentum.
The first vaccinations in Derbyshire took place at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Royal Derby Hospital on December 8, followed by the county’s first vaccinations at a primary care site on December 18, at Stubley Medical Centre.
Three more primary care sites have opened since then, in Ripley, Bakewell and Long Eaton.
Dr Steve Lloyd, medical director for the Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Rolling out vaccinations to care homes is a critical part of the phased programme of vaccinations.
“People living in care homes are often extremely vulnerable, so it is our clear duty to do our best to protect them by providing these vaccinations safely and effectively.
“Our focus is on ensuring everyone eligible for a vaccine gets access to a vaccine, whether they are able to attend a primary care site or receive their vaccination in a care home.
“We ask that people continue to be patient, and wait for the NHS to contact them about a vaccination.
“Staff are working incredibly hard to get these sites set up, and are doing an astonishing job to mount the greatest vaccination programme in NHS history.”