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By Kate Cotton
Working as an NHS volunteer at the St Boniface Covid 19 vaccination clinic
I
’ve greeted thousands of eyes peering over face masks at the vaccination clinic door this last
month. Everyone is relieved, and a little anxious and excited, to be here. For most it’s a day trip from
lockdown and for some it’s the first time out of their village since last March. For me it’s a privilege to be part of this historic programme. Overall, there’s a real sense of an enormous light at the end of this pandemic tunnel and a huge step towards freedom. I’m part of a team of 75
volunteers at St Boniface House in Buckfastleigh, a Dartmoor stone building which is hosting supplies of these life-altering vaccines to patients of both South Dartmoor and Totnes, and South Hams Primary Care Networks. Most people from Dartmouth will attend
here for their jab. Like most of us during this global pandemic I’ve had to sit it out at home, looking on helplessly as our amazing NHS staff have worked the frontline of this deadly disease. When the vaccine arrived I wanted
“I’ve termed my volunteer role ‘joyous’ at times.
People thank me but, truth be told, I’m so happy to be here.”
to be part of this modern-day war effort in some small way. Alongside a shift team of seven
other volunteers, I assist with social distancing, safety checks and hand gelling as we guide people swiftly around the clinic. My usual, and favourite, role is to greet everyone at the front door and check they don’t have any of the three classic
Covid 19 symptoms of high temperature, continuous cough, and loss of taste or smell, before they enter the building. Around 100 people pass through the clinic during each two-hour session. There are four sessions per day and generally each vaccine clinic runs over three or four days. Some people arrive with gifts of chocolate and I had the good fortune to be on duty on Valentine’s Day, when we were generously showered with boxes of Roses and Celebrations. I’ve spoken to more people in the last month than I have since March 2020! We’ve all been locked down for so long it can be quite disorientating arriving at the clinic for a vaccine. We work hard as volunteers to help put people at ease and calm any anxieties. I’ve met people who are terrified of injections (it’s a very small needle) who’ve left the building with the biggest smiles on their faces. We’ve worked the car parks and
external doors during bitter winds and freezing rain but always with a sense of fun and camaraderie. We’re all so pleased to be here, involved in this life-changing programme. It’s been a race against time and these clinics have been set up at an impressively record pace. Former NHS practice manager Janine Payne co-ordinates the volunteer programme at St
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