Covid support officer visits being made across Banbury area to people yet to respond to vaccine invitations

People in the priority groups for the Covid-19 vaccine who have yet to respond to their invitation for a first dose are the focus of a scheme set up by Oxfordshire councils, the NHS and GPs.

Outreach workers from the community hub teams across the county have been visiting residents who have not had a Covid-19 vaccine, and offering them support to get an appointment if they want one.

A Cherwell District Council spokesperson said: "The goal is to help support people if they want to have the jab, especially where they may have had difficulty booking an appointment or arranging transport.

"The outreach workers are experienced Covid support officers who have been visiting residents, who have been shielding or self-isolating throughout the pandemic.

"They will be dressed in clearly identifiable clothing, carrying an ID, and following all social distancing guidelines."

Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council’s director for public health, said: “It has been hugely encouraging to see such large numbers of people being vaccinated locally and nationally – hundreds of thousands of people are being vaccinated each day.

"However, we must make sure that everybody is given every opportunity to have this hugely important protective jab. That is what this new scheme is about. It will add real value to the vaccination programme in Oxfordshire.”

Dr Kiren Collison, GP and Clinical Chair at Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “GP practices are working closely with the outreach workers to make sure that people who are eligible for a vaccine, but haven’t had one, are given the help they need. They might be unable to book an appointment or need more information and these teams can help with this.”

Cllr Lawrie Stratford, Oxfordshire County Council’s director for adult social care and public health, said: “We want this outreach programme to be a valuable means of ensuring that everyone who wants the vaccine is supported to get it and that nobody gets left behind in the rollout of Oxfordshire’s vaccination programme as it moves through the different priority groups.”

Cllr Andrew McHugh, lead member for health and wellbeing at Cherwell District Council, said: “There is a big push across the country to reach out to the small numbers of people in priority groups who have yet to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.

"This is the local part of that campaign, and we encourage people in Cherwell and Oxfordshire as a whole to come forward to protect themselves and the wider community.”