DOZENS of volunteers are needed to come forward and help deliver York’s autumn Covid booster jabs.

The city's mass vaccination site at Askham Bar had almost 400 volunteers working for it at the height of the vaccination programme early last year, says Professor Mike Holmes, of primary care services provider Nimbuscare.

He says the volunteers, working daily four-hour shifts through all weathers, attracted national recognition.

"We really couldn’t have done it without them," he says, writing in a weekly column for The Press.

Now he is calling on more people to join the volunteer team as Nimbuscare begins to ramp up its vaccination programme once again in York for the Autumn flu and Covid vaccination campaign, in which everyone over 50 is entitled to a jab.

"This September we need an extra 50 people to volunteer to work various shifts from 8am until 8pm Monday to Saturday, as well as Sunday mornings, alongside our vaccination teams," he says.

"Volunteering to work alongside our vaccinators is a brilliant opportunity to learn about the healthcare system, as well as giving back to your community.

"So, if you’re available for a few hours, please get in touch. Check out our recruitment page on our website, https://www.nimbuscare.co.uk/recruitment/, for more details."

He says there are also opportunities across the road from the site at St Leonard’s Hospice.

"They need volunteers to work across a whole range of areas, including retail, catering and gardening roles," he says.

"Volunteering can be a good way of exploring work opportunities – some of our former volunteers at Nimbuscare are now working in permanent jobs with us.

"Having dipped their feet into the NHS as a volunteer, they were keen to get involved further which has been valuable for us."

Meanwhile, Prof Holmes has spoken out again about the rudeness and aggression being faced by GP surgery staff from some patients.

"Once again, this week I’ve had to console a receptionist at one of my GP surgeries who was verbally abused by a patient – they were told they were ‘a worthless person,' " he says.

"This behaviour is unacceptable and can’t be tolerated by the teams who work tirelessly to help.

"This city should be proud to have a good healthcare community which has pulled together throughout this pandemic, working and collaborating as one.

"No one working within the NHS, or anywhere else for that matter, deserves to be shouted out or abused during their working day.

"It’s sad that I am having to ask people to treat others with kindness and respect once again. This should be something ingrained in all of us.

"The vast majority of our relationships in this city are positive, so let’s to work to transform the behaviour of the minority."