A huge thank you to all NHS staff and volunteers during the pandemic
Published: 6 July 2022
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations, partners, and volunteers from across Redbridge came together to respond to the challenges of the pandemic and support residents in our local community.
To recognise and celebrate their achievements, Redbridge Council hosted an evening of appreciation at Ilford Town Hall and Fullwell Cross Library for NHS staff and volunteers and partner organisations who contributed to the vaccination programme in Redbridge, helping to save lives, keep people safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19, which made a huge difference to the lives of residents.
Local volunteers supported vaccination clinics at Ilford Town Hall, Sir James Hawkey Hall, Fullwell Cross Medical Centre, Mayors Pharmacy, Britannia Pharmacy and Wanstead Pharmacy. The success of these clinics would not have been possible without our volunteers, who supported clinicians and vaccinators in Redbridge to help more than 200,000 residents receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Redbridge’s door-to-door engagement team, Health Buddies from RCVS and Redbridge Community Health Champions, were also important in providing support to residents, sharing information about the COVID-19 vaccine and raising awareness on how to access clinics and book appointments. Overall, the team engaged with over 70,000 households.
Councillor Mark Santos, Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “The contribution volunteers have made to support their local community has been extraordinary – and I wanted to let you know these efforts are recognised and appreciated.
“The commitment and dedication volunteers have shown to fellow residents is something that I and others are grateful for.
“Volunteers have been actively involved in delivering food, picking up medicine, or checking in on people, and your efforts have proved to be invaluable.
“These were unprecedented times, and thanks to the determination and selfless acts of local volunteers, our collective response to the coronavirus pandemic is something we as a borough can be very proud of.”
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