Mobile Covid-19 vaccination bus hits the road in Norfolk and Waveney
It's to try and make sure everyone has access to a coronavirus jab.
The Norfolk and Waveney Health and Care Partnership has joined forces with Norse Group to launch a mobile vaccination bus.
The team will visit specially chosen sites in the region, vaccinating people where uptake has been lower than average, and where virus transmission rates remain high.
This includes: community venues, places of worship, large food production facilities, homeless hostels, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller sites.
It's also hoped that in the future on-bus vaccinations will also be made available to other individuals and communities that find visiting permanent vaccination sites more difficult through lifestyle or hesitancy in using mainstream health services.
The mobile hub has been commissioned by the Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group, with the specially-adapted bus being provided by Norse Group.
The community vaccination team, provided by Norfolk Community Health Care NHS Trust, will also have time to answer questions and address any concerns and hesitancy, as well as administer jabs.
Zoe Nash, Vaccination Programme Manager from Norfolk Community Health and Care, said: “This is a flexible, mobile vaccination service. Most appointments will be made by invitation, however, some time slots will be available to walk in patients, provided they are eligible within government guidelines.
“We know that we need to tailor the service to the specific communities we are serving – this is the opposite of one size fits all!
“We are committed to constantly learning and adapting so we can shape the service to meet the needs of those we want to reach out to.
"This may mean providing women only clinics, accommodating people with learning disabilities or sensory impairments and providing a supportive service to people with low level anxiety or mental health problems.”
Melanie Craig, Chief Executive of NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Put simply, this bus will save lives. Vaccinating the maximum number of people possible is key to us all getting back to some sort of normality.
"The vaccination programme is essentially about reducing the harm and loss of life that COVID-19 causes, but it is also crucial in us keeping schools open, supporting business and the economy to thrive and improving people’s health and wellbeing.
“People are missing social contact, meals out, a drink in the pub, holidays and a haircut – a successful vaccination programme will help to make these things possible again.”
Dr Louise Smith, Director of Public Health in Norfolk, said: “Vaccination is an important part in our fight against COVID-19.
"We know that some people find it difficult to take up the offer of the vaccine for a variety of reasons and this roving vaccination service will make it easier to get your vaccine in the areas in Norfolk and Waveney where uptake of the vaccine is lowest.”
Dean Wetteland, Chief Executive of Norse Group, said: “We are delighted to be part of this important initiative, helping more people in harder to reach communities access vital vaccinations.
“Since the start of the pandemic, Norse has managed the mass distribution of PPE and emergency food parcels as part of the county’s Covid response, and more recently we were called upon to set up and manage the county’s mobile Lateral Flow Testing Teams across Norfolk.
"This mobile vaccination service is another way that we can lend our support to keeping people safe in the communities we serve.
“With the bus transformed and ready for action, we are excited to be part of the rollout of this innovative and potentially life-saving new service.”