Enter and View, Kassam NHS Vaccination Centre

Part of the local Healthwatch Oxfordshire programme is to carry out Enter and View visits. Local Healthwatch Oxfordshire representatives carry out these visits to health and social care services to find out how they are being run and make recommendations where there are areas for improvement.

Purpose of Visit

• To observe how the COVID-19 vaccination centre operates and provides its services.
• To collect views from patients, volunteers, and staff on how the vaccination centre service is provided.
• To identify ‘Best Practice’ and highlight any areas of concern.

HW Oxfordshire spent nearly 5 hours at the Centre on 4th February 2021.  They spoke to staff and St Johns Ambulance volunteers on site.  Given the nature of the service – vaccination for elderly and vulnerable patients - they did not try to talk to patients but distributed a paper questionnaire and a link to the online survey. In total, they heard from 106 staff and patients.

Summary of findings

• Comments from patients were overwhelmingly positive about the organisation, safe environment and efficiency of the programme, and the attitudes of staff and volunteers.
• The centre as the first of its kind in the area had a learning culture. Management listened to staff, and changes happened quickly to improve the patient experience and process as a result.
• The environment was calm with a reassuring hum of activity.
• The patient journey from arriving on site was smooth, with clear directions and supported by marshals before entering the building and throughout. This included from car park staff through to exiting the centre.
• Visitors undertook lateral flow tests before entering.
• Staff were accessible and friendly and easy to talk to-and always offering support and direction.
• Patients with mobility issues were guided to the lifts; there was a one-way system throughout; the exit route was down an external stairway that could be a challenge for some in poor weather.
• Generally, staff reported being well trained with good levels of information.  However, we heard a level of disquiet about overstaffing, shifts being cancelled and pay discrepancies between Medac and Oxford Health bank staff.
• The staff rest area environment was untidy, with the drink preparation area unclean.  Social distancing was not always adhered to in this area.