Prince Charles welcomed to pop-up vaccine centre by Jewish GP

Dr Charlotte Benjamin met the heir to the throne at the centre in Staples Corner, as part of a drive to encourage vaccinations in ethnic minority communities

A north London GP, Dr Charlotte Benjamin, welcomed Prince Charles to a pop-up vaccine centre in Staples Corner this week, as part of a drive to persuade people in ethnic minorities to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Dr Benjamin, a member of Ner Yisrael synagogue, is the vice-chair of the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group, which looks after five boroughs in the capital.

She said: “The take-up from the Jewish community has been fantastic, but it’s not been as good in other ethnic minorities. But we have found that we can set up pop-up vaccine centres in places of worship, and that people who were nervous of having the vaccine are reassured if their church or mosque tell them it’s a good thing to do.”

Prince Charles was interested in the progress of the vaccine roll-out, which, Dr Benjamin said, had shone a spotlight on various health inequalities in the different communities.

The meeting took place at the Evangelical Church in Staples Corner. The prince was welcomed by Dr Benjamin, the pastor of the church, Agu Irukwu, and Dr Nayeem Azim. Dr Benjamin said: “Giving the vaccine is so enjoyable because people are really grateful. We are proud to be part of the solution.”