COVID-19 Pop-up Vaccine Centre - Camphill School Aberdeen

A mother’s words after her son received his vaccine: “Our adult son Niall has Down’s Syndrome and is non-verbal, therefore we were unable to explain to him about the pandemic or the need to get vaccinated. I cannot emphasise the absolute relief when we heard Niall would be vaccinated at Camphill. Taking Niall to a big vaccination centre would have been incredibly stressful. This is the passport to freedom for us - a day of celebration. The first thing he'll do is meet his two big brothers who he hasn't seen since last summer. They've really found it tough.”

Our POP-UP COVID-19 vaccination centre was the first of its kind in Scotland for young people with learning disabilities; delivering vaccines to 98% of all those eligible - ahead of the national average. In partnership with the NHS, we transformed our gym into a “pop-up” vaccination centre creating a clinically safe and familiar space for the students. Experienced medical and support staff adapted their approach to ensure getting vaccinated was as stress free as possible. The vaccines allowed us to welcome back day students (ahead of other settings), open up for family visits and get young people’s progression back on-track.