Mayor calls for vaccine centre in Horncastle

The Mayor of Horncastle has urged health service bosses to include the town in any further roll-out of vaccine centres.
Horncastle Mayor, Councillor Fiona Martin.Horncastle Mayor, Councillor Fiona Martin.
Horncastle Mayor, Councillor Fiona Martin.

Councillor Fiona Martin says she is concerned Horncastle has been left out of the initial list of centres in Lincolnshire.

The nearest centres are in Louth or Spilsby - meaning many elderly and vulnerable people face a journey in excess of the Government’s 10 mile target by the end of this month.

As things stand, many villages will also miss out - including Woodhall Spa, Wragby and Tattershall.

Coun Martin’s concern comes as the Horncastle News and its sister titles across the UK launched a campaign challenging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ensure everyone is only a short walk from a vaccine centre.

We urge him to deploy the country’s network of 11,000 pharmacies as front-line Covid vaccine centres as part of that.

Plans for vaccine centres are changing, almost by the hour, but Coun Martin said Horncastle should not be left out.

She said: “We have a lot of elderly and vulnerable people and I would have thought Horncastle’s central location would have made it an ideal place .

“Not everyone has access to a car to travel to Louth or Spilsby.

“The bus service is limited and should we be encouraging people in their 80s and above to travel on public transport? Many of them have been self isolating for months.”

There is speculation a scheme to transport some patients to appointments could be introduced, along with a programme of home vaccines for the most vulnerable.

GP surgeries can also provide jabs but again, the situation is far from clear.

Coun Martin added: “Another concern is the roads from Horncastle to Spilsby and Louth are among the first to close in bad weather.

“We keep hearing another ‘Beast from the East’ is on the way and if that were to happen, people really would struggle.”

There are two pharmacies in Horncastle (Lincolnshire Co-op and Boots) and others in Woodhall Spa (Boots) and Coningsby (Boots).

Both companies say they would be prepared to join the roll-out scheme and Boots have already launched a trial programme - but not in Lincolnshire.

An added problem in Horncastle is that the Boots pharmacy is one of the smallest in the country and has struggled to cope with queues for prescriptions.

According to the Government, it is planned that two million people a week will be vaccinated by end of January and 13.5m at risk (70+) by February 15;

Meanwhile, East Lindsey continues to have one of the lowest infection rates in the county.

However, the pandemic is continuing to have an impact locally with various volunteer groups facing an increase in demand.

•For help and advice visit www.supportteam.horncastletowncouncil.co.uk or phone 07599 023501.