Improving the health of our population here in York is our aim and, working with our partners, we have big ambitions for better health, says Prof Mike Holmes in his latest blog.
This week as we see young people begin a new school year we very much hope it will be a healthy and unbroken school year in which they can achieve. As a parent myself, I’m pleased that young people can now continue their education as before, without restrictions.
We know, however, that this may impact the number of positive cases we see – we have seen a rise in Scotland after their schools went back. This is why we still need to be cautious and continue to encourage good hand hygiene and distancing, where possible.
Like many health professionals, we were waiting for the important JCVI decision on vaccinating 12 to 15-year olds last week and it seems we will have to continue to wait for this to be clarified. I understand that it is complex decision which can’t be taken lightly. We have been vaccinating clinical extremely vulnerable and immunosuppressed 12 to 15-year olds for some time within the vaccination centre and this has gone smoothly. We also continue to see 16 and 17-year olds come to get their jabs, which is very encouraging.
Our pop-up clinics remain popular and as universities open up we will be running a series of vaccination clinics at colleges and universities in the city. See our website for more details: https://www.nimbuscare.co.uk/our-services/nhs-covid-vaccination-service/pop-up-clinics-in-york/
It’s been a challenging time, to say the least, these last 18 months. As we approach the anniversary of the launch of our vaccination centre here in York, it’s an opportunity to reflect.
When we set up as a drive-through flu vaccination centre in October 2020 we were also preparing for the expected Covid vaccination programme. When we realised this couldn’t be delivered as a drive-through process, the teams quickly adapted and we opened up as a local vaccination centre in December 2020. We were proud to become a National Covid Vaccination Centre in January 2021 and have now carried out more than 370,000 Covid vaccinations, with the ability to give up to 4,000 jabs in one day.
Award finalists and future plans
Because of this and other work, Nimbuscare has been chosen as a finalist in the HSJ Awards 2021 and we are so pleased our work has been recognised. This award is for all those teams and the whole of the York community and we very much hope we will have a chance to win it!
Nimbuscare continues to work to improve the health of our population here in York. We have big ambitions to use our Askham Bar site, at least in the short term, as a ‘Health Village’ for better health.
One of the things we will be introducing there is the very important NHS Health Check scheme which we are getting up and running. These are preventative health checks for eligible patients, designed to spot early signs of various conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and dementia.
The checks are offered to eligible patients from our member practices in York.
These health checks will soon be carried out at our Askham Bar site and at other locations in York.
More information about the NHS health check scheme can be found on the NHS website here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/
Career's Fair
We’re also holding a Career’s Fair at the site next month in our ‘Tent of Hope’ which will be a great opportunity for people to come and talk to health professionals about working within the health sector. There will be lots of information about vacancies and you can find out about all the different professions. The event is on Saturday 9 October from 10am until 2pm and will include many health organisations within the city. For more information about taking part, please contact our helpdesk.
Nimbuscare will also be representing our member GP practices at the York Careers Fair on Thursday 16 September at Novotel on Fishergate. To find out about more opportunities available in York and meet our friendly team, please pop down on Thursday 16th too.
