CCTV installed after Covid vaccine site is vandalised in Cornish village
Staff have been left feeling unsafe after the tent was targeted twice in a week
Staff have been left feeling intimidated and unsafe after a Covid vaccination site in a Cornish village was vandalised twice in the space of a week.
The tent outside Mount Hawke Surgery, between Truro and St Agnes, is used to give people their coronavirus jabs.
The marquee has been graffitied and slashed, leaving it needing repairs.
CCTV has now been installed at the site and the incidents have been reported to Devon and Cornwall Police who are investigating,
One of the local GPs says the criminal damage is impacting on those waiting to get their jabs, and that it's not fair on them.
Doctor Chris Whitworth is one of the GPs at the surgery. He said: "It's just really disappointing to find that we've got damage to our facility, which is obviously going to cost the NHS more money to repair which is going to take away from NHS funding at the moment, when we all know that the NHS is in a really difficult situation.
"It's a little bit intimidating for our staff, just feeling that our facility has been targeted, it makes them feel a bit uneasy because you never know what you will be walking into each morning. It's just unsafe really."
Andrew Abbott, NHS Kernow’s director of integrated primary care, said:
"The NHS takes a zero tolerance approach to abuse and intimidation levelled against is staff, who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to make sure our communities are safe. We have reported this matter to Devon and Cornwall Police, and we won’t hesitate to report all instances to ensure our staff and patients are safe, protected, and valued.
"As background, the surgery was targeted last Thursday – graffiti sprayed, which they removed.
"They believe the tent was slashed overnight Sunday night/early Monday morning as they discovered the graffiti and tent slashed when they arrived at work.
"The company that hired the tent to the surgery was on site Monday repairing and replacing the slashed panels, and CCTV has been installed."