Vaccinations reach vulnerable homeless population

Rough sleepers in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are receiving lifesaving COVID-19 vaccinations thanks to the outreach work of the NHS vaccination team.

Since December, more than forty people from the homeless community have been vaccinated at shelters and support venues. The Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board’s Targeted Vaccination Team focused efforts on reaching this vulnerable community during the cold winter months when many homeless people struggle even more than usual.

Emma Holmes, from the Targeted Vaccination Team, said: “Working with the fantastic support venues and shelters in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent such as House of Bread at Café 43, the Macari Centre and the Salvation Army we have been able to offer vaccination to individuals who would not have otherwise come forward.

“We’re really pleased to offer protection to these vulnerable people, especially during the extreme cold weather of winter. Holding clinics at warm spaces and places offering food and shelter to these people is a great way of reaching them and engaging them in the COVID-19 vaccination programme.”

With cold weather set to continue, the vaccination team will be visiting community projects, fire stations and homeless shelters over the coming weeks to offer vaccination to people who need support to access healthcare service like vaccination.

The Targeted Vaccination Team has vaccinated 6,654 people out in the community since September.

The autumn booster programme closed on 12 February, but people can still get their first and second doses if they haven’t already done so. This is called the ‘primary course’ of COVID-19 vaccinations.