ESSEX Child and Family Wellbeing Service have been called to help with Covid vaccinations.

Carefully selected colleagues from Virgin Care and Barnardo’s are being redeployed alongside NHS colleagues for Essex’s mass vaccination effort.

Adrian Coggins, head of Wellbeing and Public Health Commissioning at Essex County Council said so far, the services response to the pandemic has been "exemplary".

He said: "They’ve embraced this latest challenge with great willingness, positivity and resolve, whilst being careful to ensure essential services to vulnerable families are maintained.

Essential face-to-face appointments such as new birth check ins and support for the most vulnerable will continue across the country.

Health Visitors and School Nurse duty workers will also continue to be available all day.

Adrian added: “COVID is the single greatest public health challenge the country has seen this century – it makes me proud to see all corners of the health and social care sector, including the children and family services I commission in Essex, working together to deliver this vaccination programme."

For more information and support visit essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk.