Royals applaud Covid-19 vaccine roll-out at Cheltenham care home

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Feb 02, 2021

Team members and residents at a Cheltenham care home have been celebrating after they became one of the first homes in the area to receive Covid-19 vaccinations for almost everyone living and working in the home.

With the support of Underwood Surgery, the vast majority of residents and some team members at Care UK’s Sandfields, on St George’s Road, were given the first dose of the vaccination.

One of the first in the queue for the vaccination was 87-year-old Velma Jenkins, who said: “I am very happy to have received the first dose of the vaccine and look forward to my next – I can’t wait to see life return back to normal soon.”

Jon Sneath, Regional Lifestyle Lead at Sandfields, personally wrote to Clarence House to inform them of the vaccine roll-out at the home and received a response from Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, who wished them a happier and healthier 2021. The home also received letters from Windsor Castle, written by Lady-in-Waiting Susan Hussey, and from their local MP, Alex Chalk,

Malaika Charles, Home Manager at Sandfields, said: “We were so pleased that residents in our home have had the vaccination. I would like to offer my thanks to the NHS team at Underwood Surgery. They were incredibly efficient, friendly, and made sure everything went smoothly, which was much appreciated.  

“This is the first step towards getting back to normal, and we couldn’t asked for a better way to kick off the year. We’re looking forward to receiving our second dose of the vaccine as soon as we’re able.”

Care UK is keen to stress that the vaccine doesn’t provide full protection against the virus so its teams will continue to follow their stringent infection control measures including regular deep cleaning, regular testing, the use of masks and other PPE, social distancing, air purifiers and temperature checks to keep everyone safe.

Sandfields is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia, nursing and short-term respite care. The home, which features 90 en-suite bedrooms, has been designed to enable its residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café.

For more information on Sandfields, please contact Laura Sayburn, Customer Relations Manager, by emailing: laura.sayburn@careuk.com or calling 01242 801 867.

For more general information, please visit careuk.com/sandfields