After finishing the available over 80s, care home residents and care home carers last weekend, the Derbyshire Dales Vaccination programme, led by Dr Ben Milton, have continued to push on at a fantastic rate. They have been vaccinating housebound patients in their own homes and also frontline staff at Newholme. Some of the team have worked considerably long hours and weekends to vaccinate more elderly housebound residents who are not able to travel. A considerable portion of our over 75s have also had their vaccinations this week. Sarah Dines MP is now pushing to see GP practices utilised to help deliver the vaccination in Derbyshire Dales, particularly in Matlock.
Sarah Dines MP said: ‘I cannot overstate how proud I am of the vaccination effort in Derbyshire Dales, which goes above and beyond what we could expect. There is a big programme of vaccination planned for the forthcoming weeks and I am actively encouraging plans forward to see some GP surgeries able to vaccinate in the surgery, as soon as possible. I think there is a real need for this in areas like Matlock, where currently many have had to travel to either Bakewell or Ashbourne for vaccinations. I have to say I find it quite emotional seeing people vaccinated. It really does feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I would like to thank the team and the volunteers for this sterling effort, in my eyes, they really are heroes.
I have had many elderly constituents and their relatives contacting me saying how well organised the programme is and how relieved they have been to be able to have participated. I have passed these thanks on to the Ministerial team and to the NHS teams and volunteers locally. It’s great to have some good news at this incredibly difficult time.’
