Pop-Up Clinics Help the Vulnerable get Vaccinated in South-West London

Efforts to maximise vaccine take-up have been extended to sex workers in South-West London.

A series of pop-up clinics have taken place across Richmond, Kingston, and other South-West areas to provide anonymous Covid-19 vaccines. The service is provided by the Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM), along with the South-West London NHS team, and can be accessed through a simple self-referral form online with just a name and a contact number. Sex workers have been designated a priority group by the NHS, but outreach to offer the jab has been limited. There is no existing register of sex workers in the UK, and many are unable to access regular medical services due to fear of arrest, deportation, or other complications. Many have no fixed address, and struggle to access sustainable care, or may not know what healthcare is available to them in the first place due to complications such as language barriers. Sex workers who are registered with

a GP often will not disclose their occupation due to the associated stigma. Many reference a fear of their work being pathologised, or of being pressured to leave their work regardless of their circumstances. Whilst many are working completely legally, there is still a fear of mistreatment due to their occupation. Sex workers have been hit hard by the pandemic, with lockdowns limiting many in their ability to earn and forcing people to reduce their prices and boundaries. This has meant that many are struggling more whilst working in more unsafe circumstances, and for many social distancing has been impossible. During lockdown, SWARM set up a hardship fund to support sex workers. This was funded by donations, and distributed around £250,000 in grants. This initiative has been launched to try and make the vaccine as accessible as possible for a vulnerable group of the population. SWARM currently have five outreach staff, all of whom are current or former sex workers in the South West London area. They hope to soon expand the vaccine programme across London. Users will not need to be registered with the NHS, and are assured that no information will be shared with the police or the home office.