Jardines Pharmacy, in partnership with healthcare training and solutions provider ECG, has launched a new Covid-19 vaccination service for rural communities in South Northamptonshire.
The service opened at the village hall in Greens Norton on Saturday (March 20) and within 48 hours, over 1,000 vaccinations had been administered by a nurse-led team of newly trained vaccinators.
Jane Lambert, CEO of ECG said: “This is a great example of how unused venues, like the community centre here, can be transformed into vaccination sites - providing a vital service to more rural communities. We are really pleased to be working on this in partnership with Jardines Pharmacy.”
In order to get the vaccination service up and running, ECG held a number of training sessions for a team of new volunteer vaccinators who are taking time out of their day jobs to support the vaccination drive.
Katie Adams, who is a student nurse at the University of Northampton, had her first shift as a vaccinator on Saturday. Speaking about the experience she said: “I was a bit nervous when I started today but I’ve really enjoyed. My Mum knows Jane who runs ECG and suggested I should give it a go, so I attended the training and here I am today.”
The new vaccination service was made possible by Jardines Pharmacy who secured the contract and found a suitable venue to set up the hub.
Has Modi, managing director of Jardines Pharmacy, added: “The centre is a great example of two-family run businesses, Jardines Pharmacy and ECG, working together for the community.
"Because we are a smaller group of pharmacies, we can be more agile and flexible which is why we have been able to set this centre up very quickly. We have very high standards and expectations when it comes to training, that’s why we have partnered once again with ECG as we know and trust their experience and professionalism.
"It was great to see so many people coming through the doors on the first day to get their vaccinations and to see how happy everyone was to be there taking the first steps towards a normal life once again.”
The Greens Norton Community Centre operation is open seven days a week from 9.30am to 5pm during which time they can vaccinate 600 individuals a day.
Among those to receive their first vaccination at the site on Saturday included Justin Fletcher, a detective superintendent from Thames Valley Police and Banbury MP Victoria Prentis.
Sukhi Basra