Penarth Healthcare Partnership commits to ambitious over-75 vaccination target
By Alex Jones
29th Jan 2021 | Local News
The Penarth Healthcare Partnership (PHP) on Stanwell Road aims to have all patients over-75s vaccinated by 15 February, providing supply chains continue.
Staff at the practice are working extra hours to meet this target set by the Welsh Government.
The team has run five vaccination clinics to date in which they have protected approximately 300 people from the virus.
After a delayed shipment of Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines caused nationwide shortages and delays last week, improved supply means a further 300 PHP patients are due to be vaccinated this weekend.
Practice Manager Sian Pugh told Nub News that Penarth's older demographic has placed an additional strain on PHP, but that her workforce are working tirelessly to meet the target.
"[We have] the second highest number of patients over 80 in Cardiff and the Vale – approximately 900 to be vaccinated at the surgery (this excludes the housebound)," she said.
"Whilst all practices struggle because of the varying demographics of their populations, this does mean that there cannot be a like for like comparison with practices who may have completed the vaccination schedule for a given cohort.
"The vaccination programme needs to be delivered in addition to the usual care our patients with acute and long standing conditions still require. This is particularly difficult with winter pressures.
"Our staff, both clinical, reception and administrative are all working extra shifts to facilitate the Covid-19 clinics, which are in addition to their usual work."
Practices across Wales are being inundated with calls regarding vaccination timetables.
Sian wants to reassure PHP patients that they will be contacted and vaccinated as soon as their time comes.
"We urge our patients to ensure that we are able to contact them by telephone, but not to contact the surgery to request a vaccine, as this simply reduces our capacity to contact the correct cohorts and will delay the vaccination scheduling.
"The call will be from a withheld number. All patients who we have recorded as housebound will be contacted by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to arrange their vaccination.
"We would like to thank our patients for all the positive messages we have received throughout our vaccination programme. We will continue to work as hard as we can."
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