Author: Martin Driver

The ‘Living Well’ bus will be making two stops in Sefton this weekend to offer residents all COVID-19 vaccines, including first, second, booster and seasonal (autumn booster) and free health checks.

No booking required

The bus will be parked at the following locations from 10:30am-4pm, with no booking required:

• Saturday 4 February – Lidl car park, 290 Marsh Lane, Bootle, L20 5BQ
• Sunday 5 February – Southport Theatre and Convention Centre, The Promenade, Southport PR9 0DZ

Residents can get up to date with any COVID-19 vaccines they may have missed, including first, second or booster doses and the seasonal (autumn booster), before the booster programme ends on Sunday 12 February.

Free holistic health checks will also be available for residents aged 18 and over, if time and capacity allows, which include a pulse check and blood pressure check, cholesterol and blood glucose check and a BMI check.

Offer coming to an end

Jan Leonard, primary care lead for Sefton at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said: “With the COVID-19 booster offer coming to an end on Sunday 12 February, this is a great opportunity for people to get either their first COVID-19 booster dose or the autumn (seasonal) booster if eligible.

“The ‘Living Well’ bus service, which is led by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, is designed to bring health services to people in a way that is convenient for them.

“We are proud to be supporting the service, which has helped enable a range of people to get protected with their COVID-19 vaccines and health checks this winter, including successful recent visits to Peel Ports, the Maritime Centre and Change Grow Live, our local alcohol and drug support service.”

You can find out more about the COVID-19 vaccine, who is eligible, and to book an appointment online or find other walk-in vaccination sites on the NHS website here.

Last night (Thursday 26 January), Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust, as well as Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, were awarded the Honorary Freedom of the Borough by Sefton Council.

Dedication, sacrifice and heroism

In a special ceremony held at Bootle Town Hall, Council Leader Ian Maher presented the award in recognition of the dedication, sacrifice and heroism shown by local healthcare workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around 70 of the Trusts officers and their invited guests attended last night’s ceremony and civic reception.

Honour and a pleasure

Making the presentation, Cllr Maher said: “It really is an honour and a great pleasure to thank our NHS partners and healthcare heroes.

“People were going into a situation during the pandemic where they did not know the outcomes. It is pure bravery.

“The Freedom of the Borough is awe of our frontline workers and I am confident that people across Sefton will agree that the work of these NHS staff need to be recognised and rewarded.”

Selflessness and resilience

Ahead of last night’s ceremony, Sue Musson, Chair of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “It is a great honour for the Trust to be awarded Sefton Council’s Freedom of the Borough for our services during COVID-19.

“The pandemic presented immense challenges for all of us working in healthcare, and this award recognises the remarkable courage, selflessness and resilience of our staff who cared for patients, families and each other at a very dark time. We are so grateful to receive this very special honour and for the continuing friendship and support of colleagues across the Borough.”

Tireless

Neil Masom OBE, the chair of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust said: “This is a tremendous honour for the tireless and often challenging work of colleagues during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Every one of them is on the frontline in one way or another whether they are in a clinical, support or administrative role. We all work as one team and one family, ensuring we deliver the best possible care for those in need.”

Fantastic recognition

Dame Jo Williams, Chair of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Louise Shepherd, Chief Executive of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are hugely honoured to be recognised and to have been awarded the Freedom of the Borough from Sefton Council. It is fantastic recognition for our staff and colleagues who have worked tirelessly and bravely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Alder Hey is privileged to play a vital role in supporting the health of children in Sefton and around the world. This would not be possible without the support we receive from children and families around the Borough and from our friends and partners in the Local Authority and other agencies.”

Huge challenges

Joe Rafferty CBE, Chief Executive of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Like all other NHS organisations, the COVID-19 pandemic presented huge challenges for Mersey Care, and I see this honour as recognition for everyone who have worked so hard during some of the most difficult times in the history of the NHS.

“We’ve had to adapt, quite often find different ways of working, but I’m extremely proud of the way we’ve continued to care and kept our mental health and community health patients and service users safe.”

Highest honour

Freedom of the Borough is the highest ceremonial honour Sefton Council can bestow. It will stand as a permanent record of the Borough’s endless appreciation and debt of gratitude to the Trusts and their staff.

Organisations receiving Freedom of the Borough gain the ‘right, privilege, honour and distinction of marching through the streets of the Borough on all ceremonial occasions with colours flying, bands playing, drums beating and bayonets fixed’.

Previous organisations to have been granted Freedom of the Borough include RAF Woodvale, in 2011, and No. 238 (Sefton) Squadron, 156 Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport, in 1982. Individuals who have had the honour bestowed upon them include Jamie Carragher, in 2004, and Donald “Ginger” McCain in 2006.

HMS Mersey will receive Freedom status in April while England footballer Alex Greenwood will also receive the Freedom of the Borough in a ceremony planned for late 2023.