The UK’s vaccination programme began in December 2020 and has since administered over 28 million first doses of the vaccine. As the NHS continues to vaccinate the nation at an astonishing rate, members of the School of Healthcare Practice have been putting their professional knowledge to invaluable use in their local communities.

Steve Bilham, Claire Kane and Valerie Freestone are all senior lecturers at the University and have been working at vaccination centres in the area, contributing to a programme that has seen 94% of over 65s in the East of England receive the jab.

Steve, Senior Lecturer in Children’s Nursing, has been volunteering through Bedford Council since the beginning of the pandemic, contacting those who are shielding, collecting prescriptions and helping with grocery shopping.

Now vaccinating members of the public, Steve is enjoying the social aspect of seeing people come for their jab. He said:

“I originally volunteered to help with directing cars at the vaccination centre in Queens Park, but when my healthcare background came up in conversation I was asked to be involved in the vaccinating itself.

“The people I see are mostly fit and healthy individuals taking part in this mass vaccination programme – there is a joy in meeting a whole range of people without the interface of computer screens.”

Since starting administering vaccines in late January, Steve now works at two vaccination centres in Bedford – the Guru Nanak Temple in Queen’s Park and Manton Heights. He continued:

“As I work three days a week for the University, it seems only fitting that I use my skills where they are needed on other days.

 “I enjoy using my skills for good and what I get back from the people I see far outweighs any effort on my part.”

At the vaccination centre in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Claire Kane is volunteering as a vaccinator. As a Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing, she wanted to use her skills to help return people’s lives to normal. She said:

“I’ve been volunteering at the centre since February and the reason I volunteered was simple: I am a nurse, I have the skills and I want to help my community to keep well and to enable people to get back to a normal life.

“Working at the centre is a joyful, positive experience.  I love working with people and everyone is so happy to be there - even those who dislike needles! I see one patient every five minutes so it is non-stop, but the time flies by.

“It is wonderful to be part of a team of volunteers who are there because they care for their community and just want to help in any way that they can.

“I would encourage any fellow healthcare professionals – retired and still working – to volunteer.  This vaccination programme will continue for quite some time and it is a great way to have a positive impact on the health of so many people.”

Valerie Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, is volunteering as a steward at the vaccination centre located at Bedford Heights and is in the process of training to become a vaccinator.

She says taking part in the vaccination programme has been a rewarding experience. She said:

“It’s really great to see people smiling as they leave even though some of them were clearly quite anxious as they went in.

“Despite it being cold stood outside during shifts, I have enjoyed working at the vaccination centre, helping to speed up the number of vaccinations we can give and being a part of history.

“It has been a privilege to be part of the biggest vaccination programme in history and I am looking forward to many more shifts – my message to all involved is simply, ‘keep up the good work’.”

For information on the UK's Covid-19 vaccination programme, visit the NHS website. There is also information available for those looking to help out at vaccination centres, either in a paid or voluntary role, by clicking here.

For further details about courses in the University of Bedfordshire’s School of Healthcare Practice, visit: www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/departments/hcp/