Our vaccination hub at Queen’s Hospital opened in December and was only made possible thanks to the hard work of several teams and countless colleagues across our Trust. As we’re so proud of them for making it happen so quickly, we wanted to give as many of them the spotlight as we can.

Mark Shipley (left), usually one of our senior finance managers, was redeployed to help oversee setting up the admin side of the hub, and shares how collaborating with teams across our Trust made him feel more involved in our hospitals:

“Earlier in the pandemic I’d been involved in setting up the reception desk in the atrium at Queen’s Hospital, which I enjoyed and I like to think we did a good job. So when the opportunity to get involved in the vaccine hub came up I volunteered.

I was part of a team which oversaw setting up the booking system, working with our Workforce and IT teams to resolve issues, ensuring those using the system had all the information they needed and understood to come back for a second dose.

I usually spend most of my time behind a desk, so it was really interesting working with many other teams. It was much more of a collaboration too, whereas often in finance you can feel like the villain, always saying no.

And it was challenging, ensuring we got the flow through the hub right, that people had the right form of ID, and it was really important to ensure the right people got the vaccine.

Of course not everyone turned up, and it could be really frustrating as we didn’t want to waste any doses. However, we worked closely with HR to target the right people who could get there at the last minute.

As well as meeting people from our own Trust who I wouldn’t usually work with, I also got to meet colleagues from other organisations, including hospices and our partners.

Traditionally in my role, the run up to the festive season can be a bit of a wind-down period, so this was very different. I also enjoyed how much more involved I felt in the hospital than I usually do sitting behind my desk.

It’s been fantastic – everyone was put together to achieve the same goal, and it was really refreshing to see how quickly we got it done.”