Following easyJet’s recent offer of help to the UK Government, the airline’s cabin crew are being recruited and fast-tracked to support the NHS (National Health Service) as part of the nationwide effort to distribute Covid-19 vaccines.
The airline wrote to the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in November 2020 to offer support the Government’s efforts to implement the national Covid-19 vaccination programme this winter. With over 3,000 crew who are trained in first aid, security cleared and based throughout the UK in London, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast, easyJet’s cabin crew are well positioned to help support the nationwide vaccination programme.
As easyJet continues to operate a reduced schedule as a result of the pandemic, its furloughed crew has an ideal skill set to be able to provide inoculation support. Crew who apply to join the effort will be fast-tracked to become trained vaccinators at NHS vaccination centres across the UK and will undergo online training and onsite immunisation training to become fully-qualified in administering the vaccines.
Last year the airline worked with the NHS, with the health service recruiting its first aid-trained cabin crew volunteers to support clinical services in NHS Nightingale hospitals, with further airline staff volunteering as NHS responders. easyJet cabin crew and pilots have also been volunteering to support the NHS through Project Wingman, providing wellbeing support to frontline clinical staff battling the coronavirus pandemic in 85 hospitals across the country. The project’s co-founder, recent easyJet Captain Emma Henderson, has been awarded an MBE for her leadership of the charity.
As with these programmes, hundreds of easyJet crew are expected to sign up to continue supporting the NHS, now as vaccinators.
