National effort to vaccinate vulnerable communities receives funding boost

  • Councils with low vaccine uptake awarded share of £22.5 million to get hard-to-reach communities vaccinated

  • 60 councils to benefit from Community Vaccine Champions scheme which will mobilise thousands of volunteers

  • Part of national drive for people to be vaccinated in fight against Omicron – An army of vaccine volunteers will help millions of people in hard-to-reach communities get jabbed, backed by £22.5 million of government funding.

Community Vaccine Champions from Bradford to Brighton will be tapping into their local networks and encouraging people in their community to come forward and get vaccinated.

The funding, allocated today to 60 councils, will provide an opportunity to deliver bespoke projects in their region, help identify barriers to accessing accurate information and provide tailored support, such as phone calls for people without easy access to digital technology, helplines, and linking to GP surgeries as well as other initiatives, including:

  • In Derby and Newham roving vaccinators and a vaccine bus will visit workplaces, places of worship and local highstreets.
  • Videos shared on social media featuring local sporting stars, TV actors, local community and faith leaders and local NHS staff in Southampton.
  • Developing a community transport in Reading to support access to vaccination sites/pop-ups (working with existing local community) and considering ‘Grab a Jab’ taxis scheme.

According to NHS statistics, over 4.6 million people aged 18 or older remained unvaccinated in the 60 local authorities selected to take part in the Community Vaccine Champions programme.

Communities Minister Kemi Badenoch MP said:

“In England more than 80% of eligible adults over 18 have had a booster and for over 50s it is 90%. This is a great take-up so far, but we need to do more as we know that the unvaccinated are up to eight times more likely to be hospitalised than those who are jabbed.”

“By funding Community Vaccine Champions – an army of volunteers who are at the heart of their communities – we can reach those yet to be vaccinated and encourage them to protect themselves and the NHS.”

Councillor John Merry, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Adult Services, Health and Wellbeing at Salford City Council said:

“The support we received via the Community Vaccine Champions scheme has been vital in our fight against COVID-19. This financial boost has enabled us to roll out a range of activity to improve vaccination take up across the city and tackle vaccine hesitancy among some of our communities.”

Vaccines Minister Maggie Throup said:

“Thanks to the pace and scale of our COVID-19 vaccination programme, we are in a much better position than this time last year.”

“We are doing everything we can to reach those who haven’t yet come forward for their jabs and we know some people are more likely to listen to those they trust, such as community and religious leaders – that’s why we are giving extra funding to our brilliant Community Champions.”

“The offer of a vaccine will always be available, it’s not too late. Please come forward as soon as you can so we can learn to live with this virus.”

In December 2021, according to NHS statistics, over 4.6 million people aged 18 or older remained unvaccinated in the 60 local authorities we have selected to take part in the Community Vaccine Champions programme.

More than 14,000 volunteers joined the first Community Champions scheme in 2021 – helping the vulnerable and isolated across the country throughout the pandemic.