The work of healthcare professionals in Herefordshire during the Covid pandemic has been recognised with an award.

The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Covid-19 vaccination team has received an NHS Parliamentary Award for Health Equalities.

The award recognises work to bring together different groups and organisations to reduce health inequalities and to prevent ill health.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards was launched in 2018 to celebrate its 70 birthday and recognises the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working in the health and care sector.

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The vaccination team includes workers from the Herefordshire and Worcestershire NHS, councils, general practice, the voluntary and community sector, and other organisations.

The partnership addressed inequalities in accessing the vaccine by successfully reaching out to groups and communities that might have otherwise struggled, such as homeless people, those living in areas of high deprivation, seasonal workers, vaccine-hesitant populations, and those who weren't registered with a local GP.

As regional winners, the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Covid-19 vaccination team will now go head-to-head with other winners from across the country for the chance to win the prestigious national award which will be presented at a special ceremony in the House of Commons on July 6.

David Hitchiner, leader of Herefordshire Council, said: “Congratulations to the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Covid-19 vaccination team for winning this Parliamentary Award for their work in reducing health inequalities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"This recognition is very well deserved. The support of our health partners and their staff has been invaluable for ourselves as a local authority and for our Herefordshire residents during what has been an extremely difficult time for us all over the past few years and we cannot thank them enough for their outstanding work."

Simon Trickett, Chief Executive of NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire said: "This award is for each and every one of those who worked to deliver the vaccines, from the larger vaccination centres through to our community outreach teams.

"We have a vision for more integrated health and care services across the two counties, and this is an excellent example of partners working together for the benefit of our population."