Three more COVID-19 Vaccination Centres to open in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

Vaccination centres at Ludlow Racecourse and AFC Telford United (delivered by Wellington Pharmacy) open today Tuesday 2 February, and Shrewsbury Indoor Bowling Centre, Sundorne Road, Shrewsbury later this week. The three vaccination centres will be capable of vaccinating thousands more people every week as national supplies of the vaccine allow.

Vaccinations will be provided at the centres by appointment only and people who are eligible to receive a vaccination will be contacted by the NHS with details of how to book. The Vaccination Centres will also work directly with local health and care employers to directly book eligible frontline staff into appointments.

Dave Evans, Joint Accountable Officer for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “As the expansion of the Covid-19 vaccination programme continues to gather pace, we are delighted that Ludlow Racecourse, AFC Telford United and The Indoor Bowling Centre on Sundorne Road will all be used as vaccination centres, increasing availability of more local options.

"GPs, nurses, pharmacists, staff from across partners and volunteers have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to get the sites ready as part of the rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations.

“We are asking the public to support the NHS by not contacting your GP about your vaccination; we will invite you when it is your time.

“Readying the centres for their launch has required a monumental effort, with all of our local NHS services working closely together with the councils on all the necessary planning and preparation. We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved – in particular the staff and volunteers who will be running the services – and we very much look forward to welcoming the first patients to their booked appointments."

Over their first few days of operation, the new centres will be building up and testing their systems to be able to operate seven days a week from 8am to 8pm. The testing period is essential to ensure everything is in place to operate at full capacity. They will be staffed by clinicians, non-registered vaccinators, administrative staff, volunteers and marshals who will help make a visit to the centre run as smoothly and safely as possible.

Rachel Robinson, Shropshire’s Director of Public Health, said: "Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin’s new COVID-19 Vaccination Centres add to the existing vaccination services already up and running at our hospital hubs and at GP-led community clinics across our county. It means that people who are eligible to receive the vaccine now have more choice about where they can get vaccinated locally, further improving our readiness to protect as many people as possible from coronavirus as quickly as we can.

“We are continuing to remind people that they will be contacted by the NHS when it is their turn to be vaccinated. You may receive a letter inviting you to book an appointment at the new Vaccination Centres or you may be contacted by your GP with an invitation to attend another local vaccination service near you. Either way, you will receive full details of how to book your appointment and where you need to go."

How can people access the new Vaccination Centres?

The NHS will write to eligible people offering them the opportunity to book an appointment at the new Vaccination Centre via the NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Booking Service. Letters will invite those eligible who live in reasonable travelling distance of the centre (within 45 minutes), and who haven't already been vaccinated by their local GP-led community vaccination service or hospital hub.

The letter that people will receive also explains that if you can’t travel to a vaccination centre, or there is another reason you can’t book an appointment at the nearest vaccination centre, you can choose to wait until your local GP services contact you if they haven’t already. If this is your preferred option – you don’t need to do anything now - wait for your GP service to make contact.

If you receive a letter and already have an appointment booked to have your vaccination at a local GP service, please ignore the letter. There is nothing you need to do and please attend your appointment.

Nobody needs to contact the NHS, as people will be invited when it is their turn and people cannot get vaccinated by just turning up.

People who book into the Vaccination Centres will be greeted by colleagues who will marshal car parking and register them when they arrive. Bookings are staggered to allow social distancing and people are urged to support the smooth running of the centre by not arriving more than 10 or 15 minutes before for their appointment. They will receive a health status check and a pre-vaccination assessment before they have their jab. The whole process should take under 30 minutes.

In Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, further vaccination services will go live over the coming weeks. As soon as these are ready and available, they will appear on the national NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Booking Service.