Highland Council and NHS Highland reveal ‘Jabbernaut’ to help deliver Covid vaccines across region
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People in the Highland Council area will soon be receiving coronavirus vaccines in their local communities with the help of a purpose-built mobile vaccination unit coined the ‘Jabbernaut’.
Highland Council transport and housing maintenance staff have procured and built a custom-made mobile vaccine unit for NHS Highland to enable health staff to deliver vaccinations across the Highlands.
Councillor Allan Henderson, Chair of Highland Council’s communities and place committee, praised council staff for their partnership approach to tackling coronavirus in the region.
He said: “I commend Council staff for their creativity and very positive approach to partnership working with NHS Highland to create the Jabbernaut and I thank the Cairngorm Group for their very generous donations of new windows and doors for the build. The Jabbernaut will help enable NHS staff to deliver their vaccination programme across Highland regardless of location.”
Dr Boyd Peters, medical director for NHS Highland, said: “The Highland Council teams have really understood our needs and what we require in order to deliver vaccines to the population. The vaccination programme in NHS Highland continues to progress well and with the introduction of the Jabbernaut I look forward to seeing that progress continue.”
Chris Dowling, joint managing director of the Cairngorm Group, said: “It’s been well publicised that our best way out of this pandemic is through the vaccine programme so we are delighted to be able to play our part in help making this happen. The geography of the Highlands has always meant we would need a bespoke approach compared to other parts of the country so the staff at both NHS Highland and Highland Council should be applauded for their forward thinking.”
Mike Cooper, Highland Council’s transport and logistics manager, explained: “Council staff are very pleased to be able to respond to NHS Highland’s need for a mobile vaccination unit. We did this in consultation with NHS Highland’s staff to understand what was required for their design specification. We bought a unit and 40ft box trailer and then constructed and kitted out the trailer as a vaccination centre which meets all the medical and vehicle safety requirements.”
The Highland Council is also supporting NHS Highland in the vaccination programme roll-out by providing a welfare vehicle; supply vehicle and drivers in the delivery of vaccinations to Highland communities, along with help in identifying and using other venues where needed.
The Council’s school nurses team is also helping to administer vaccinations.
Vaccinations at the Jabbernaut are by appointment only.
