Earlier this week I wrote to the Health Secretary urging him to provide Oldham Council with more resources to allow localised community based work to be carried out and prevent any new emerging strains of Covid-19 taking hold in Chadderton, Oldham and Royton as we lift social restrictions.
In some of our communities in Oldham vaccination take-up is not where we need it to be, especially when compared to others. We now need to get on with working with these communities and community leaders to get to the bottom of why that is, without demonisation, we are where we are and we must work together to improve the situation.
Surge vaccination should absolutely be a priority, so must resources needed to ensure those that have not yet been vaccinated are encouraged to do so, and work must be done to reassure anyone who has concerns about the safety and importance of getting vaccinated to protect the whole community.
We cannot be complacent and find ourselves in a situation where we see more devastating social and economic restrictions placed on our town again because the resources to prevent that and move us in the right direction were not forthcoming.
I know that last year when I joined teams from Oldham Council out on the streets of Oldham, going door-to-door with testing teams, the community responded positively. My instinct says that we may require a similar street level effort, and we should learn from places like Leicester who have focused on empowering community leaders in their vaccination programmes.
Just last week I raised these issues and other with the Director of Public Health and other in Oldham’s public health team. As a local MP I want to ensure that the Council and public health teams are adequately resourced for the job at hand, I will continue to work with the civic leadership and public health teams here in Oldham to push for the best outcomes for our town.
The full text of my letter:
The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP
Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London, SW1H 0EU
26 May 2021 Ref: JM33762
Dear Matt,
You will know that frontline staff are working around the clock to protect the local population in what has been the most testing period for the nation. I want to pay tribute to workers in Oldham for all they have been doing since the outbreak of Covid-19, when our town was under the spotlight for high infection rates, and the resulting social and economic restrictions which hit us hard. As the vaccine roll-out has progressed, they have again demonstrated their commitment and public duty and we remain extremely grateful to them all.
I am writing to you as the Health Secretary because I remain deeply concerned that the government is not making the required progress to ensure that the vaccination is reaching all parts of the population in Oldham, and that take-up rates remain low in Pakistani and Black African communities.
Data provided to MPs on 12th April showed the rate for Cohorts 1-4 amongst the Pakistani community stood at 67.16%. The latest data provided to local MPs on 24th May, it had only risen to 71.08%. Likewise, for Cohorts 5-9, rates stood at 56.48% and grew to just 62.4% in the same period.
Unless we achieve higher rates of vaccination, the risk of new strains gaining ground is greater – particularly given the apparent lack of strategy around the government’s border policies.
While the same level of growth across that period is in line with the White British community, the significant difference is that rates now stand at 94.95% across Cohorts 1-4 and 87.27% for Cohorts 5-9 for White British people.
In the same period for Cohorts 1-4 the Bangladeshi community saw rate increase to over 82.99%, with rates at 91.57% in the Indian community. Likewise, those with Black Caribbean ethnicity are showing rates of 86.52%.
It is important that targeting is evidenced based, and critically community based. Surge vaccination should be a priority, but this must be accompanied by the resources needed to ensure those who have not yet taken up the vaccine do so and to reassure those with concerns that the vaccine is safe and important for the protection of the whole community.
I fear that many vulnerable people are not getting the protection they need and that not enough resources are being provided to allow localised community-based work to be carried out, door-to-door if required. I am also concerned that as the country comes out of social restrictions, any emerging new strain detected locally may lead to intense local action later. We cannot see more devastating social and economic restrictions – it is vital we learn the lessons 2020 has taught us.
As a local MP I want to be assured that every route is being taken to secure a greater level of take up and that local councils and public health teams are adequately resourced, given the intensity that it is likely to need.
My instinct is that we were successful when we were at street level. When we visited door-to-door for testing in the wards over summer 2020, those I visited responded positively. We should learn from areas like Leicester, that have placed vaccination clinics in places of worship, community buildings and focused on empowering community leaders in their vaccination programmes. Having more localised vaccination centres supported by door-to-door activity could make a difference, and I know the civic leadership in Oldham will take the lead, as will I personally in that effort with public health officials.
But to do that we need resources now, not later if we witness a new strain taking hold in an under-vaccinated part of the borough.
Kind Regards,
Jim McMahon OBE MP
Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton
Jim McMahon OBE MP 