GPs convert bus into mobile vaccination unit for hard to reach and vulnerable people in Crawley

GP federation, Alliance for Better Care (ABC), has launched its Covid-19 Mobile Vaccination Unit today in the town. The project, which is being staffed by ABC’s community team is providing inoculations to harder-to-reach and vulnerable groups in the community.

Matt Cullis, ABC director said: “We’re committed to making our vaccine service accessible to the whole community, and using a bus that is staffed by our community team was the simple and obvious solution.

“We’re always looking for ways that we can innovate and impact the care provided in our community. We’re extremely fortunate to be backed by a team that could help launch our Mobile Vaccination Unit in a short space of time.”

Appointments are invitation only, booked by the federation’s GP practices. The ABC team has partnered with Metrobus and The Apple Tree Centre - a community project created by the Gurjar Hindu Union – to make the project a reality.

The location of the bus is planned by ABC’s central team, working with the practices and other community hosts. The team expects it to run for the duration of the vaccination programme.

Katherine Saunders, Chief Executive, Alliance for Better Care said: “We are really proud of our ABC director, Matt Cullis, for coordinating this.

“It has real potential to get the Covid vaccine to hard-to-reach groups, something primary care really excels at.”

The bus provides a self-contained, clean and safe location for vaccinations to take place, and benefits from its inbuilt one-way system.

A spokesman for ABC added: “The ABC team would like to thank Lewis Jackson and the whole Metrobus team for making this possible.”

Brighton and Hove and Metrobus managing director Martin Harris said: “We are pleased and proud to get behind the roll out of the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme and especially to help vulnerable people and hard-to-reach communities get their vaccines.

“I’d like to thank Metrobus colleagues and our NHS partners, Alliance for Better Care, for their hard work in mobilising this vital service so quickly.”

Alliance for Better Care is a GP Federation covering East Surrey, Crawley, Horsham and Mid-Sussex. It has launched seven vaccination sites across the region and its team have administered more than 30,000 vaccinations to date.