CARE home staff in Oxford are to become some of the first in the region to get the coronavirus vaccine.

A total of 75 members of staff at St Luke’s Hospital, based in Headington, have been given the opportunity to receive the vaccination as part of the charity’s work to support the NHS through the pandemic.

St Luke’s Hospital is a specialist facility that supports frail and vulnerable people who have high dependency nursing needs.

Typically, patients may come to St Luke’s as they cannot immediately return home following an admission to hospital or they may not be able to live at home, as they would pose a risk to themselves or their family.

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In November this year, St Luke’s changed one floor of its building to accommodate patients who need dedicated recovery having had the Covid-19 virus.

The new Covid-ward at St Luke’s has been made into its own isolation bubble, with its own team of staff and infection control protocols for patients and visitors.

The Charity has also been utilising a fleet of new cleaning robots within the Hospital to support its mission to protect its patient and staff population.

Luke Ponsonby, chair of trustees of St Luke’s said:“We are very proud to be working with the NHS to offer care to patients who are recovering from the Covid virus. Having the opportunity to support our staff through the Covid vaccination scheme is a huge step forward for St Luke’s.

"We are committed to helping our colleagues in the NHS through this crisis, and at the same time, safeguard our patients and staff. The new vaccine is going to significantly help us to keep everyone at St Luke’s safe.”

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