Electricity North West is supporting the government’s COVID vaccination programme by giving all staff paid time off to have the jab.

Firms like Electricity North West this week earned praise from Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, who said it was “awe-inspiring” to see companies playing their part in supporting the vaccine roll out.

The network operator has announced that any employee who is invited to have the vaccine can take time off work in company time, at short notice and on full pay.

Furthermore, the company – which has continued to operate throughout the pandemic as an essential service to homes, businesses and organisations such as the NHS – is also offering rapid lateral flow testing to all colleagues who can’t work from home to support the test and trace programme.

Electricity North West key workers can take the tests before they head to work or following a shift and have results in 30 minutes.

Peter Emery, Electricity North West’s chief executive, said: “I’m proud of how all my colleagues have stepped up to keep the region connected and provide an essential service throughout the pandemic. I cannot thank them enough for all that they do.

“As we hopefully are moving into a recovery stage of this pandemic, it’s vital that we repay their support by making it as easy as possible for them to have the vaccine.

“We also hope that providing access to testing will bring added peace of mind and reassurance for our key worker colleagues on the front line and further reassures all our customers of the steps we are taking to ensure their safety.”

As an essential service provider, Electricity North West is working throughout the lockdown to repair faults and keep the network running.

Engineers have also supported the creation of Manchester’s NHS Nightingale Hospital and carried out vital work to increase the electricity supply to Oaklands Hospital in Salford.