Relief for care homes as vaccine is rolled out

Story posted on February 4, 2021

VACCINATIONS for Covid-19 have been rolled out to local care homes.

Blenheim House Care Home COVID vaccination slider,

Residents aand staff at Brookside Care Home,  Blenheim House Care Home and Alpine Villa Residential Care Home, have received their first vaccination from a team of health professionals from Melksham and Bradford on Avon Primary Care Network, and in the coming weeks, will receive their second dose of the vaccine.

At Blenheim House Care Home, 63 residents and 43 of its staff team have had their first dose of the vaccine and at Brookside Care Home 91.7% of its residents (44 of 48) have now been vaccinated and those wanting to have the vaccine but are unable due to illness etc, will  get access as soon as possible. Staff and residents at Alpine Villa Residential Care Home, received their first dose of the vaccine in mid-January, and are awaiting confirmation about when they will receive the second dose.

Brookside home manager Jamie Carter said, “The news that the vaccination had been developed and was ready to be delivered was just the boost we needed before Christmas after we had the news that the new variant had been picked up in the UK. 

“We made sure that we registered colleagues and residents for vaccinations as soon as we possibly could, because we recognise that this is one path forward in overcoming the pandemic.

“My colleagues have shown incredible dedication and skill in the last nine months in the face of this unprecedented challenge and I must thank them, our residents and their families for pulling together.”

Blenheim reports, “The 7th January marked a very special occasion for our residents as they received the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine in our nation’s fight against the Covid-19 virus.

“This month, we welcomed a team of health professionals from Melksham and Bradford on Avon Primary Care Network to our home to deliver the vaccine to a total of our 63 residents. A second dose of the vaccine will be administered within 12 weeks.

“47 of our staff team also received the vaccine, and as with our residents, they will receive a second dose to be administered within 12 weeks. The remainder staff who have not yet received the first dose will receive this shortly.

Home manager at Blenheim House, Mirko Ridolfo said, “This is a hugely significant day and an important step forward towards returning to normality.

“The Covid-19 vaccine is one of the most important scientific achievements of the recent years. The invention of vaccines have saved countless lives in the last two centuries. It would not have been possible to eradicate many diseases without vaccines”

Sue Wilkins, a relative of one of the Blenheim House residents that received the vaccines said, “Thank you, Mirko and all the amazing Blenheim House team for continuing to comprehensively keep relatives ‘in the loop’ with what is happening during such uncertain times.  I think a lot of work has ensured that what could have been a traumatic procedure has been turned into an ‘event’ with positive outcome.”

And management company The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT), is following up to ensure that