10th January – Belonging to your Community

Be part of your community

I have spent today working at our local covid vaccination clinic; we have been vaccinating our over-80-year-old population, and health and care staff. Other members of the team went out to local care homes to provide vaccinations for the care home residents.

I feel incredibly privileged to be part of such a great team of dedicated professionals. It is also lovely to be part of the local community, it is one of the best bits of being a GP. Whilst I was there today to give vaccines, I had the opportunity to meet so many different patients and hear their stories, and I was awed by their strength and courage. I spoke to one 93 year old lady who hadn’t left her house since the start of the first lockdown last March, and today was the first time she had come out. Another had lost her husband to covid in October, and hadn’t been out since, but she had the courage to come and get her vaccine today. Several told me how they hadn’t seen their sons and daughters and grandchildren or great-grandchildren for many months. One told me that she was worried she may never get to see her grandchildren again, but the vaccine had brought her hope.

The patients today humbled me with their expressions of gratitude for the work of the staff at the centre, which seems like such a small thing in comparison with of all the hardships they have faced; the loneliness, the fear of illness and grief from loss of loved ones. 

But also today I saw people were uplifted by coming in and being part of something bigger. By coming to be part of the vaccination programme, they felt like the were doing something positive, and although all still apart and maintaining social distancing, they felt like they were doing it together, and I could see hope for the future.