200+ students of King’s College London involved in award-winning Covid vaccine service
Volunteers from King’s collected the award with Morris House Group Practice for their Covid service that vaccinated up to 7,000 patients per day, as well as providing home vaccines and pop-up services.
Morris House Group Practice has been named the winner of the Covid Vaccination Programme Award category at this year’s Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards, for a programme which was supported by more than 200 staff & student volunteers from King’s College London.
The vaccine service was highlighted for its successful and innovative programme that began in December 2020 by opening a vaccine centre in Haringey, against the backdrop of low vaccine uptake.
In addition to vaccinating up to 1,000 patients a day at the practice, the service delivered hundreds of home vaccines and led popups at churches, mosques, food banks, schools, community centres and even the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where on some occasions the service vaccinated over 7,000 patients.
Morris House Group Practice has a long association with King’s and is part of the King’s Undergraduate Medical Education in the Community (KUMEC) network of General Practices that delivers thousands of King’s medical students placements each year.
Through their hard work, we have vaccinated almost 175,000 patients through popups, outreach and GP practice-based services across North London. By working with students from King’s College London we were able to deliver impactful interventions such as our 10,000-patient popups at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the UKs first 24-hour Jabathon.
– Dr Russell Hearn, Clinical Reader in Medical Education
Alongside students from King’s and other universities, the services were supported by hundreds of volunteers from the local community. Some volunteers returned from retirement to support the vaccine roll out. School students also volunteered through work experience placements to promote careers in healthcare.
This unique and close collaboration was key to delivering community interventions across London. The programme’s innovative use of technology and video to enhance patient experience were also highlighted. As a result of its impact and innovations, the site hosted visits from the Prime Minister, Mayor of London, and HRH Camilla, the Queen Consort.
The vaccine service was previously featured on national media as it hosted the UK’s first and only 24-hour vaccine clinic in December 2021, enabling thousands of patients to be vaccinated and improving access for shift and night workers.
This national recognition from the esteemed judges at the HSJ Awards for our Covid Vaccination service means a huge amount to everyone involved in this project. Our team of volunteers, medical students, vaccinators and clinicians worked tirelessly with a focus on improving health equity and I cannot praise them enough.
– Dr Russell Hearn, Clinical Reader in Medical Education