COVID-19 vaccination programme

Thank you to everyone who has supported with the COVID-19 vaccination programme at our hospital. We began vaccinating on Wednesday, 6 January, and concluded our first doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday, 2 February.

Lindsay Hanmore, associate director of nursing – Quality First, said:

It was an absolute pleasure and joy to be part of the Trust’s vaccination programme. I met so many amazing people who helped to ensure the process ran smoothly, efficiently and safely for our staff and also local health and social care staff. Every member of the team was completely committed to supporting everyone through and it was so heartening to see them all living the Trust values in everything they did. There was so much energy in the hub, as though the whole team knew they were part of the solution and making a huge difference.

There was such a range of staff in the process, including those who supported the booking in process, the vaccinators, the recovery and booking out staff and the continuous pharmacy support to ensure no vaccines were wasted. We also were able to accommodate a large number of patients through our doctorled clinic twice a week to ensure their safety. Anyone we contacted for support came willingly and quickly, including estates to ensure the environment was at the correct temperature for the vaccine, facilities to make sure the environment was clean and well equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE), switchboard to help us direct enquiries, security to direct visitors to the hub and the resuscitation team to ensure we had everything in place to promote safety at all times. A huge thank you to everyone for your support.

If you have not received your COVID-19 vaccination at The Princess Alexandra Hospital vaccination hub, you will now be referred to the vaccination centres in the community (e.g. Harlow Leisurezone) for your first dose of the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine.

To book your slot, please follow the link to the booking portal, which is shared in the regular COVID-19 briefings.

Once you have had your vaccination in the community, please email paht.shawcovid19@nhs.net and let the team know when you received your vaccination.

You can also contact the staff health and wellbeing team (SHaW) if you have further queries.

Feedback about the vaccination from our health and social care colleagues:

An amazing service and having been through alongside several of my staff, I cannot compliment you all enough for your efficiency and kind, caring, professional approach.