Vaccine bus tour Doctors tackle COVID-19 on screen

Vaccine bus tour

Throughout August our vaccination team were out and about visiting communities on a mobile COVID-19 vaccination bus.

To ensure everyone had the opportunity to get their vaccine, LUHFT teamed up with Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group and Knowsley Clinical Commissioning Group to encourage more people within local communities to receive their COVID-19 vaccination.

Staffed by vaccinators from our Trust, the bus targeted areas where the take up of the vaccine was lower, providing drop-in appointments for both first and second doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations.

Diane Haddock, Associate Director of People (Occupational Health and Wellbeing), is also the Trust’s lead nurse for occupational health. In December 2020, she was the first nurse to vaccinate a patient at the Trust, 92-year-old ex-serviceman, Ray Grist, and is passionate about getting as many people as possible vaccinated. Diane said: “We know there are still large numbers of people unprotected against the virus in Liverpool and wanted to reach out to those who hadn’t taken up the offer of an appointment. “Everyone over age of 18 is now able to come forward for their vaccination, and it’s the best way that you can protect yourself and your loved ones from serious illness.” This COVID-19 vaccination bus demonstrates the fantastic collaborative working with our fellow partners in the city. We’re proud to be working together to be able to vaccinate our communities.

Staff from Liverpool University Hospitals have already helped to vaccinate over 90,000 people since the programme began, and by supporting the mobile COVID-19 vaccination bus, we hope to reach even more and help protect as many people as possible in our city.

Doctors tackle COVID-19 on screen

Our doctors have been using the media in the fight against COVID-19. In an aim to educate the community and help people understand what’s happening within our hospitals, our doctors have been talking to the BBC and radio stations to ensure the right messages are reaching the public. Our Medical Director, Dr Tristan Cope recently spoke to BBC’s Gill Dummighan about the pressure staff are under and the huge demand for care. While Infectious Diseases’ consultant Dr Paul Hine, discussed why Liverpool has one of the lowest rates for vaccinating young people. Additionally, Deputy Medical Director, Dr Paul Fitzsimmons was on Capital FM promoting the COVID-19 vaccination bus and why it’s important we take the vaccine out to community who might struggle to travel.