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Council and NHS staff thanked for their efforts during the pandemic
08/02/2022
Staff have stepped up to the challenge of rolling out the vaccination programme whilst maintaining services
Staff in the health and social care system and those in our local authorities have been thanked for their tireless efforts to provide services and support communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
A message from Council and NHS leaders has noted the far-reaching changes staff have faced in the way they work and the partnerships created to introduce new services and deliver services in new ways.
Successes highlighted include the rollout of Oxfordshire’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, providing care and support to vulnerable residents and continuing to provide frontline services such as waste and recycling and social care services.
The NHS and local authorities began the enormous task of rolling out the largest-ever mass vaccination programme in December 2020. The Oxfordshire Vaccination Delivery Board was set up to oversee the programme with the establishment of two hospital vaccination hubs, 21 GP-led local vaccination sites, a mass vaccination centre at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, local pharmacies across the county, walk-in pop-up vaccine clinics, roving clinics with the ‘Health on the Move’ bus, and school immunisation programmes.
More than 1.5 million vaccinations have been administered to residents of Oxfordshire. This includes nearly 223,000 booster jabs since the rapid expansion of the programme on 13 December 2021 – a near 90 per cent take-up by those eligible.
Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “This is an opportunity to recognise the tireless efforts of council staff and NHS colleagues throughout the pandemic.
“Everyone has worked tremendously hard in the face of adversity to continue to provide us with the support we need during difficult times and we owe them a huge debt of thanks.
“Of course, COVID is still present and continues to represent a significant risk. We must all, therefore, continue to do what we can to support our frontline workers.”
Councillor Barry Wood, Leader of Cherwell District Council, said: “Key workers have proved their worth many times over during the pandemic. Those who empty our bins have coped with much higher waste and recycling levels, the NHS have delivered millions of vaccines and pioneered new treatments, while council staff have adapted to deliver new grant schemes, advise on COVID regulations, and help with contact tracing.
“With the pandemic still present, it is important that we continue to respect and support all those delivering essential services in Oxfordshire.”
Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery, Chair of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am incredibly proud of our staff’s response to the pandemic, and the dedication, hard work, commitment, and compassion they continue to show. It has been an incredibly challenging two years, and the vital care they have provided has been at the heart of Oxfordshire’s response to COVID.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have worked together with our colleagues across the health and social care system. COVID is not yet behind us, and we would ask people to continue to do all that they can to keep themselves and those around them safe.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam