Health Secretary Matt Hancock praises group of Northumberland GP practices for vaccination roll-out success

The Well Up North Primary Care Network (PCN) consists of 12 GP practices stretching from Berwick to Morpeth.

Mr Hancock, in a letter to Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan, writes: ‘I am delighted to inform you that Well Up North PCN is one of the best performing Covid vaccination teams in the country, achieving high rates of vaccine uptake in a very rural area.

‘Britain is leading the global fightback against the virus, being the first country in the world to approve a clinically-trialled vaccine and now deploying the vaccine on the ground faster than almost any other country in the world.

‘And this is down to the tireless efforts of all those involved – especially those on the ground in our communities, from nurses, to GPs, to pharmacies, to volunteers, and so many more.

‘It’s incredible to see this community spirit, as people pull together to lead us collectively out of the pandemic.’

Mrs Trevelyan has written to the 10 Well Up North practices in her constituency to congratulate and thank them for their hard work.

She said: “I already knew from my ongoing communications with both residents and the GP hubs themselves, just how well we are doing here in Northumberland.

"My constituency is the fifth most vaccinated in England, but it is wonderful to be told by the Health Secretary that our local GP practices have achieved one of the highest rates of vaccination despite the challenges our rural area presents, makes me incredibly proud.

“Their achievement is no accident: it is down to the hard work and dedication of our GPs, nurses, their support teams, and all the volunteers who are still working really hard to keep us all safe.

“With a huge influx of vaccine supply imminent, the hard work is not over, as we move on to ensure all adults can be vaccinated on schedule so we can reopen our society and move towards a more normal way of living once more.”

More than 30,000 people in Berwick constituency have had at least one dose.

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