Dozens of homeless people protected from coronavirus thanks to vaccine clinic

A partnership between a homeless charity and the NHS has helped offer the Covid-19 vaccine to vulnerable people.

Sean McNally was one of more than 150 people to get their vaccination at the Good Shepherd in Wolverhampton

A dedicated pop-up clinic was held at the Good Shepherd charity in Wolverhampton city centre, with 154 people coming forward to be vaccinated.

Speaking at the clinic, Paul Burns, Housing First support worker for the Good Shepherd, said: "This is helping us to help them change their lives.

"The turnout at the clinic has been marvellous and I’m glad so many people have received their vaccine today."

The clinic, run by local GP Dr Kam Ahmed and his team, mainly gave out second doses of the vaccine following a successful first clinic in February.

Dr Ahmed said: "Homelessness and poor health all too often go hand in hand, which means homeless people are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of this virus.

"Working with charities like Good Shepherd and vaccinating local homeless people is a big step that we can take to protect some of our most vulnerable residents.

"The team and I were delighted to have this opportunity to make a difference."

Housing First Support worker Paul Burns said he was delighted at the turnout at the vaccination clinic

NHS trusts in the region work with homeless charities to ensure people who do not have a permanent residential address can still get access to essential GP services.

The Wolverhampton vaccination clinic, which has been praised at national level by NHS England, was a natural extension of this work.

The NHS is continuing to work with local councils, charities and community groups to spread the message about vaccination.

It is also working to ensure resources are in place so that people who don’t always access services, such as the homeless, travelling communities or sex workers, have equal opportunities to get protected.

Sally Roberts, chief nursing officer for Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, and local vaccination programme lead, said the clinic was a great example of how partnership working can make a big difference.

She said: "People who are homeless suffer from some of the biggest health inequalities in our society, so we work closely with support charities across the region to ensure homeless people can access essential healthcare services like vaccination.

"We’re clear that nobody is going to get left behind in our drive to vaccinate our most vulnerable and get everyone protected from COVID-19."