From museums to Leisure World, Colchester Borough Council staff have been redeployed providing non-clinical support for the NHS helping with running the vaccination centre at the JobServe Community Stadium since it launched.
The team from Colchester Borough Council’s museum service have led the council's support for the vaccination centre, alongside volunteers and staff from Leisure World, St. Helena’s Hospice, the local fire service, Essex County Council and many other local and NHS volunteers.
At the centre, which opened on Tuesday 2 February, trained council staff took on roles as marshals, administrators, car park attendees and helped to support residents after their vaccination.
Now that the vaccine rollout is well underway and the centre is well established, council staff will return to their normal roles to start preparing for the reopening of closed council services after 31 March.
Dr Ed Garratt, executive lead, Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System, said: “Colchester Borough Council have been a brilliant partner to the NHS during the pandemic and I can’t thank their staff enough for their support. Working alongside other volunteers, partners and NHS staff, the council’s input has been vital to ensure the smooth delivery of the vaccination programme.”
Cllr Mark Cory, Leader of Colchester Borough Council, said: “It has been an absolute privilege for the council to support and work alongside the NHS to deliver such an important part of our Covid response.”
“The passion and professionalism of staff supporting our community throughout these exceptionally difficult times has been amazing. I am incredibly proud that we could work with the NHS on critical testing and vaccination programmes at our sites and with our redeployed staff.”
“As our staff return to their normal roles at the council to support the reopening of our services, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank them and thank the NHS for all that they are doing for our borough, and across the country.”
The NHS continues to urge people to wait until they are contacted and only to visit a vaccination centre when invited to do so, to help ensure priority groups are served first. Find out more here.
Page last reviewed: 17 March 2021