Westgate House receives COVID-19 vaccine
Westgate House receives Covid-19 vaccine
Residents and care staff at Westgate House in Hertfordshire were amongst the first people in the UK to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine last week. On Christmas Eve, the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust asked the care home to prepare for the rollout of the vaccine, and all 84 residents and 70 care staff have since then successfully received their first dose.
The home manager Nancy Currie said “It was fantastic to receive the phone call and be told that we would be receiving the vaccination for both residents and staff in the next few days. We worked in close partnership with our colleagues at Dolphin House Surgery to make this happen and it was a successful day, while being part of a historical moment in history.”
The vaccine rollout
The vaccine program, led by Dr Fingal O’Reilly and Dr Camellia Arul from Dolphin House GP Surgery has brought a glimmer of hope to all the care staff, residents and their families following an unprecedented and challenging year.
John is one of Westgate House’s longest serving residents; “I was very happy to receive the vaccine and hope it will allow us to get back to some kind of normality and see our families again.”
Photo: John receiving his first vaccine.
With the wellbeing of our frontline workers a priority, the deployment of the vaccine at Westgate House has boosted staff morale which had been significantly impacted following months of uncertainty across the sector. Dani, 17, is Westgate House’s youngest staff member; “I was pleased I was able to receive the vaccine as the youngest person in the care home . At first I felt slightly nervous, but the nurses were reassuring and welcoming, and they did an amazing job.”
Photo: Dani receiving her first vaccine.
The vaccine has brought hope to everyone at Westgate House, in particular to the residents who can now look forward to the much need physical contact with their love ones in the very near future, something they have so dearly missed.
To read more about our current Covid-19 policy and testing and vaccinations in our care homes, please click here.
For the latest government guidance regarding Coronavirus, please visit www.gov.uk.
