International Women's Day: Trust nurse plays key part in the vaccination programme and shares what it's like to be part of the biggest vaccination programme in the world

International Women’s Day 2021 celebrates the incredible efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

We’re highlighting some inspirational women at the Trust who have played a key part in the roll out of the vaccination programme. Over 20 million people in the UK have now had their first jab and the rollout of programme is the biggest vaccination effort the world has seen.

Marie Winter is Trustwide Covid Testing & Vaccinator Nurse and has worked for the Trust for 42 years.  She talks about her involvement in the vaccination programme and how she has felt extremely valued that her skills and previous experience have been recognised.

Marie Winter, Covid Testing and Vaccination Nurse

“I’ve been involved with the current Covid outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic last year” explains Marie.  “I am a registered mental health and learning disability nurse and was deployed to work on the Nightingale ward at Rampton Hospital. When the ward closed, I was asked to assist with Covid anti-body testing for staff until senior managers saw that my clinical skills could be of use elsewhere in the Trust. I was asked to join the new Trustwide Testing Team which involves testing staff when an outbreak situation occurs, assisting healthcare staff in the Offender Health division in testing their patients and more recently visiting patients in their homes as part of our community swabbing service. I really felt valued that my skills and previous experience had been recognised.

“Since joining the team I’ve been trained to become an assessor and vaccinator at national Covid vaccination hubs and also for the extended role of assisting pharmacists in preparation of the Pfizer vaccine for trained vaccinators to administer. I have delivered vaccination skills training and carried out competency assessments for people with no prior experience and more recently have assisted our service teams across the Trust in vaccination of our service users and delivering training in the use of national immunisation IT systems.

“As my work involves working at many different locations, I’ve found that although everyone follows agreed protocols they have their own way of organising things. I have learned to be ‘super’ adaptable.  On a more serious note I have found that in some areas of the Trust the service users have been very well supported and informed by their care team in understanding more fully the benefits and possible consequences of having or not having the vaccination.  This has made the assessment of capacity to consent much easier for the assessor/vaccinator.

“One thing that stands out while I have been involved in the rollout of the testing and vaccination programme is how well people from such differing clinical and non-clinical backgrounds can work together in delivering a common goal.

“I have met so many inspirational people during the last 12 months, but one person comes to mind. I was carrying out Covid swabbing at a YMCA hostel for homeless young adults and a woman who assisted me had been working there for just over a year, her compassion and commitment to her work was inspiring.”