More pop-up vaccination clinics for homeless people come to Aylesbury and High Wycombe

Pictured: the vaccination team at Griffin Place.

More pop-up COVID vaccination clinics have been hard at work across Buckinghamshire this week to deliver much-needed jabs to vulnerable people and those who may be sleeping rough.

The first clinic came to Griffin Place in Aylesbury on Tuesday, 25 May. The GP-led vaccination team arranged this in partnership with the Connection Support organisation and gave a mix of both first and second dose vaccines to over 30 people.

Then, on Wednesday, 26 May, another vaccination team went to the Old Tea Warehouse in High Wycombe, which provides housing and support to people who may be homeless and living with difficult circumstances. The team worked with both the Old Tea Warehouse and Wycombe Homeless Connection to organise the clinic, giving a mix of first and second doses to a total of 24 people.

These follow a number of other successful vaccine outreach clinics across the county in recent months. The team operating the Stoke Mandeville Stadium Vaccination Centre has led on delivering vaccine clinics at Aylesbury Mosque, Wycombe Mosque, Wycombe Islamic Centre and Castlefield Community Centre in High Wycombe. They have also recently attended Bearbrook Place, which also offers support to vulnerable people affected by homelessness across Wycombe and Aylesbury.

Meanwhile the GP-led team operating at the Adams Park Vaccination Centre have delivered three other vaccine clinics for homeless and vulnerable people. Two have been at The King’s Centre, in partnership with Wycombe Homeless Connection, and another at High Wycombe’s YMCA.  

Dr Sajid Zaib, Clinical Lead for the Stoke Mandeville Stadium Vaccination Centre and GP at Oakfield Surgery in Aylesbury, said: “These outreach clinics continue to be a great success and show how important it is for us to go out into the community to reach people who need to be vaccinated.

“We have been able to deliver vaccines to a range of people from diverse backgrounds and also to those in circumstances which make them particularly vulnerable to COVID. Going to locations people find comfortable and reassuring means we have been able to make a real difference to people, many of whom may otherwise have been hesitant about getting their jab.”

Dr Amanda Bartlett, Clinical Lead for the Cygnet Primary Care Network, which has been giving vaccines at Adams Park, organised the Old Tea Warehouse clinic with her team. She said: “These outreach clinics have been vital to help address some of the health inequalities homeless people face. They are an extremely vulnerable group of patients so it’s important for them to be vaccinated as soon as possible. But it can be difficult for them to reach vaccination centres like the one at Adams Park, so pop-up clinics like this week’s at the Old Tea Warehouse make a huge difference to protecting some of the people in greatest need from COVID. We are really grateful for all the support we have had from our partners in arranging these clinics. It has been a privilege to work with the teams and to serve this vulnerable group of patients.”

Dr Raj Bajwa, Chair of NHS Buckinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “This outreach initiative continues to be a fantastic example of collaboration between our local communities and the GPs and healthcare professionals who serve them. We would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make these clinics happen and we look forward to continuing to work with local communities in the future.”