NHS and other partner organisations across the Humber, Coast and Vale (HCV) region have worked tirelessly over recent months to ensure Covid-19 vaccination centres could open quickly, safely and efficiently, uniting in response to the pandemic.
Citycare is proud to have played its part in a huge multi-faceted team supporting the region’s Integrated Care System (ICS), delivering a range of estates advice and services to help commissioners and providers ensure they can roll out the vaccination programme as quickly as possible.
From identifying suitable buildings and setting up operational services, to helping GP practices get ready to vaccinate patients on their own clinical premises, teams have worked together to make it happen.
Hull City Hall and The Baths Hall in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, are among the venues identified as suitable large scale vaccination centres and have already seen thousands of patients vaccinated since they opened their doors.
These centres are two of more than 40 sites delivering the vaccine across the region as the huge collaborative effort to roll out the programme continues.
Sophie Lee, Consultant at Citycare, who has also acted as a volunteer in her spare time to support those attending for their vaccine, said: “It has been a huge team effort. Getting everything ready and in place was a fast-moving process and often changed daily, or even hourly.
“We’ve helped to arrange clinical waste collections, security, cleaning, any building alterations, putting clinical screens in place, altering power supplies, and organising fridges to be hard-wired to store the vaccines.
“Everyone involved has been incredible and supporting clinical teams to make these sites operational couldn’t have happened without such brilliant partnership working.
“Some organisations hadn’t worked together before, but everyone has joined forces, with the Army also playing a big part.”
Tim Wigglesworth, Chief Executive of Citycare, led the estates workstream on behalf of the HCV ICS and worked alongside NHS colleagues coordinating commissioning, workforce, finance, pharmacy, logistics, IT and communications.
He said: “When it became clear vaccinations were about to be approved for use, work really ramped up to ensure the infrastructure to make that happen was in place.
“This has been the most dynamic and fast-paced process I have ever seen or been involved with. There was no script or precedent and the closest we have to anything like this is the planned annual delivery of the flu vaccination. However, this has been on a much larger scale and scope.
“The vaccination rollout is being led nationally and delivered locally, and everyone has pulled out all the stops to make this happen. It has been massively rewarding to be able to play our part.”
