A UK Government case study has named Lancashire Council an area of ‘good practice’ for its work vaccinating vulnerable residents.

The Department of Health and Social Care’s Adult Social Care Booster Taskforce wrote the paper for adult social care and vaccine leads from local authorities, integrated care systems, and providers to maintain protection from Covid-19.

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The study outlined the positive steps taken by the Lancashire County Council to protect people in adult social care and highlighted its support of the national vaccination programme.

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Louise Taylor, Executive Director of Adult Services and Health and Wellbeing, said: “Adult social care staff have been incredible throughout the pandemic – I have been completely blown away by the way the workforce has responded to this monumental challenge.

“It is pleasing to see that some of the work carried out by the county council to support providers around staff vaccinations has been acknowledged as good practice for others to follow.

“We will continue to support providers around this issue and maintain our ongoing support of the sector as we move into the next phase of the pandemic.”

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The NHS leads the vaccination effort, but local authorities have a role in supporting the work.

The council commissioned two vaccine coaches/buses, purposed to meet the vaccination delivery requirements.

The coaches were deployed to sites across the county and supported by district councils and Lancashire Temporary Staffing Agency (LTSA) staff, an internal staffing agency set up at the onset of the pandemic in 2020 to meet the demand for residential care roles.

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Vaccinators at these pop-up sites have delivered hundreds of jabs in recent weeks, including a significant number of first doses.

County Councillor Graham Gooch, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for adult social care, said: “Protecting our most vulnerable residents has been our top priority throughout the pandemic.

“As well as protecting against severe disease, numerous studies have shown that vaccines provide some protection against transmission.

“A recent review by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also shown that people who have had one or more doses are less likely to develop Long Covid than those who remain unvaccinated.

“If you have not had your booster or your first or second dose – it is not too late – so please come forward and make sure you have as much protection from the virus as possible.”

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The service has also helped the homeless population as it allowed them to walk into any site and get their jab without additional barriers.

The council received praise for its vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD) work.

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The local authority supported care home managers by providing a Covid vaccination checklist to help them understand the staff who were hesitant but likely to get the vaccine – and those staff prepared to walk away from their job rather than be vaccinated.

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A checklist supported social care providers to review their workforce resilience and business continuity arrangements before autumn/winter 2021.

It was in addition to the ongoing support for the adult social care sector offered throughout the pandemic.

To read the paper, visit – https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk

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