A HOTEL in Winchester has begun welcoming patients to receive the Covid vaccination.

The Winchester Rural, North and East Primary Care Network has set up in the Holiday Inn, in Telegraph Way, as the roll out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history continues.

Today (Tuesday) MP Steve Brine visited the hub and spoke to staff about how the facility will operate.

Following the first 26 sites across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight successfully starting over the last couple of weeks, the new sites will be taking delivery of the vaccine, and starting their clinics.

Dr Nigel Watson, GP and clinical lead for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, said: “It has been great that we have been able to get the vast majority of our GP-led sites up and running so quickly. Clinics are going really well with lots of our patients and staff saying how smoothly things have run.

“We’d like to thank everyone for bearing with us as we know how important the vaccine is to many people. I would ask people to please continue to be patient. The NHS will contact you when it is your turn to be offered a vaccine with information about how to do this.

“Whilst the vaccine roll-out is really good news, we know that the virus is still very much with us so we all must do everything we can to protect ourselves and others.”

Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight the next GP-led sites going live with vaccination clinics are:

  • Forest Surgery, Bordon
  • Hayling Island Health Centre
  • Emsworth Baptist Church
  • Milford on Sea War Memorial Hospital (for New Forest Primary Care Network)
  • Fordingbridge Hospital (for Avon Valley Primary Care Network)
  • Crosfield Hall, Romsey
  • The Lights, Andover
  • Winchester Holiday Inn (for Winchester Rural, North and East Primary Care Network)
  • Westridge Centre, Ryde, IoW
  • The Bay Medical Practice, Shanklin, IoW

Nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other NHS staff will work alongside GPs to vaccinate those aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers and residents, identified as priority groups for the life-saving vaccine.

The NHS will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine. People should not contact their surgeries, the vaccination service is available strictly by invitation only.