TRIBUTES have been paid to a woman described as unique and as a champion of the NHS who died on Christmas Day. Joan Eileen Pounds was found collapsed at her Christchurch home by her son, Nicholas, when he stopped for a festive visit. The 92-year-old, in her capacity as chairman of the Christchurch Hospital League of Friends, helped raise funds for life-saving equipment, facilities and services for the wider community. Richard Renault, chief strategy and transformation officer for University Hospitals Dorset, said: Joan was a real champion of the NHS, and Christchurch in particular. As chairman of the Christchurch Hospital League of Friends for many, many years she helped to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds and organise hundreds of volunteers.
The three new sites are the Sturminster Newton Medical Centre, The Digby Hall and the Whitecliff Surgery. Sites have been developed by primary care networks (groups of local GP practices) who have worked together to develop detailed plans to deliver Covid-19 vaccinations in their wider community locations. Primary care networks have been working round the clock to rapidly to redesign their sites and put in place safe processes to deliver vaccines. Dr Simone Yule, a GP and Clinical Director for the Blackmore Vale partnership, said “I am delighted and relieved that we can start the new year with such good news for people in north Dorset and am delighted that we can begin to offer those who are most at risk their vaccination to protect against Covid-19.