Wigan MP and residents praise vaccination centre staff for work in Covid-19 fight

Residents were full of admiration for the organisation of the operation and said they were looking forward to the prospect of returning to some sort of normality once they were fully protected against the novel coronavirus.

And there were extremely warm words for the public sector staff, many of them volunteering to be redeployed from other roles, responsible for the enormous logistical operation from Wigan MP Lisa Nandy as she visited to see the roll-out first-hand.

Work is certainly proceeding, with NHS Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) chair Dr Tim Dalton saying that by the end of the week borough health authorities are expecting to start providing jabs to Wiganers in their 60s, the next priority cohort on the list.

And the enthusiasm of residents to get the vaccine was clear as queues formed to get into the leisure centre turned vaccine hub and then to be allocated a cubicle or aseat in the waiting area.

As the Pfizer jab was being given on the day the Wigan Post visited everyone had to sit for 15 minutes after having the vaccine to ensure there were no side effects.

Ms Nandy watched the unfolding operation, which happens extremely quietly given how many people are in the building because they are wearing face masks and social distancing.

She was extremely impressed, saying: “It is genuinely spine-tingling to watch this after everything people have gone through.

“Seeing people grab hold of some sort of normality again is very exciting.

“It is the most incredible effort, but until you see it in person it’s hard to appreciate how much this means to people across Wigan.

“There are people here today who haven’t been out of their home for 10 months. They haven’t seen their grandchildren. They have been incredibly isolated. Then they come here and find the most incredible community-spirited effort taking place.

“It’s a tribute to Wigan that we’ve been able to get all this up and running and a testament to the quality of the relationships among health partners and the council.

“Staff at every level of the organisations have volunteered and shown the spirit to get the vaccine administered to people. I can’t praise them enough.

“The local system has worked perfectly. It’s an incredible achievement and the most positive thing I’ve been part of since becoming an MP.”

Ms Nandy said she had received messages from worried Wiganers about the parallel national vaccinating system and praised health bosses in the borough for clearly communicating people did not have to travel miles to a regional centre and could wait for an appointment in Wigan.

She was told by health bosses that Wigan’s approach to vaccinating with large hubs (there were either 12 or 13 pods being used at Robin Park on the day of the visit) was comparatively unusual, with many places having lots of smaller centres for administering jabs in existing GP facilities and other health service buildings.

The CCG says it has learned lessons every day of the roll-out and believes it now has the process working smoothly.

The efficiency of the operation was repeatedly praised when Wiganers who had just had their jabs were asked for their views.

Jeff Cowley, from Scholes, said: “It’s just like a flu jab. They are well organised. As long as the vaccine does the job I will be very pleased.”

Springfield resident John Bass, 72, said: “Everything was spot on. It all ran smoothly and the staff were great. I’m relieved to have had my jab. You’ve got to go with science, haven’t you?

“Vaccinations have been great for the last how ever many years, so this is brilliant.

“Lots of people have been suffering and had very troubled times and my heart goes out to them. I’m looking forward to getting back to things. We’ve all had to cope with the lack of freedom.”

John Fay, who was attending with his daughter Nicola, also applauded the staff working at the centre.

Whelley resident Mr Fay, 72, said: “If you needed anything the staff were there to assist you. It was well thought out and well done. The staff did a perfect job, I can’t praise them enough.”

Margaret Stockley, who had her eight-year-old great-grandson Teejay with her, said: “It was amazing. It’s a real relief to get the jab. It has been horrible having to stay at home.”

Standish couple Michael and Katherine Wolfe had been rung by their GP surgery to say they would both be able to get their jabs at the same time.

Katherine, 70, said: “The nurses were excellent, I didn’t feel a thing. I had been worked up all morning at the thought of getting an injection because I don’t like needles.

“Hopefully we can move on with life, when we’ve had our second dose.”

Ms Nandy said she was relieved Wiganers were so keen to get jabs, having previously been apprehensive that anti-vaccination arguments might have registered with people.

She also said the majority of Wiganers deserved credit for the way they have been following Covid-19 regulations such as social distancing and wearing face coverings, despite the examples of non-compliance which have inevitably hit the headlines.

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