Hello, my name’s Brigatte Mishov and I’m the Matron in Charge at the Covid-19 vaccination centre at AFC Wimbledon in Plough Lane.  I’m very proud to say that we’ve now vaccinated more than 15,500 people since we opened on 25 March!

We have a great team here at AFC Wimbledon and I’m so proud of all the hard work that the staff and volunteers put in. The pace of work can be relentless, but we all get a tremendous sense of satisfaction from what we do. Especially now that we can see the results of the vaccination programme in South West London with far fewer admissions to hospitals and, thankfully, so many fewer deaths.  All of us in the team know that we are working on an historic project and feel so proud to be part of it.

I’ve been a nurse for more than 10 years, beginning in my native Philippines and later in Dubai.  I worked mainly in ophthalmology in outpatients’ diagnostics and in theatre.  The scale of the work we’re doing at Wimbledon, though, is at a completely different level to anything I’ve been involved in before.

With so many people coming through the doors, one of our key challenges for the team is to ensure that everyone feels they are being treated like individuals and that their concerns are being listened to.  The vaccines are proven to be safe and effective, but we know some people can be a bit wary about injections, especially when it’s a new vaccine, which means that one of the most important parts of our job is listening to people and reassuring them.

People say such nice things to our staff after they’ve had their vaccination. We’ve had people who’ve been truly needle-phobic who tell us that their journey in receiving the vaccine has been life-changing!

I like to think that all of us here at Wimbledon AFC and the public we serve are a partnership.  We‘ve got a common goal of getting as many people vaccinated as possible so that we can all keep safe and get back to normal.

So, if you’ve not had your vaccination yet – and you are eligible – do make an appointment via the NHS booking system, respond to an invitation from your GP, or go to a drop-in centre for your jab.  My colleagues and I are looking forward to seeing you!