Gloucestershire-based elderly care charity, Lilian Faithfull Care, has given residents at all five of its care homes the opportunity to receive the Pfizer vaccine to protect them against Covid-19.
Faithfull House in Cheltenham was one of the first six care homes in England where vaccinations were given to residents, with Lilian Faithfull Care working with the local NHS to quickly roll out vaccinations at its other care homes in Cheltenham and Stroud.
The vaccination programme means that over 200 residents living in Lilian Faithfull Care homes will now be protected against the infection.
While the vaccination is not compulsory, many residents and their families have embraced the opportunity, with residents describing it as ‘quick and easy… nothing to worry about’ and ‘very important, to stop the spread of the virus.’
Staff at Lilian Faithfull Care were also some of the first in the country to receive the Pfizer vaccine at Gloucester Royal Hospital in December 2020 – with more than half of its staff having been vaccinated so far.
CEO of Lilian Faithfull Care, Martin Hughes, said: ‘This is the light at the end of the tunnel. This protection, that our residents and teams have embraced, is making our care homes some of the safest places to live and work in the county.
‘It is credit to the teams in the homes and testament to our relationship with our incredible partners, our GP’s and practice teams at the surgeries, that we are at the forefront of battling this virus.’
While the current strict infection control measures will remain in place at Lilian Faithfull Care for the time being, it hopes the vaccination rollout will provide much needed relief and reassurance to residents and their families and allow restrictions to be eased later in the year.
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