**
New COVID-19 vaccination services to respond to local need
Cheshire health and care partners continue to work closely to ensure responsive and accessible services are in place to vaccinate local residents.
A vaccine bus will be launched from 7th June 2021 to further boost the county’s vaccination options and will visit Ellesmere Port and Lache in the first week.
The vehicle – owned by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and operated by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust – will move around the county to target and improve access in communities with lower vaccine uptake, starting with key locations in Cheshire West and Chester.
“Pop-up” vaccination clinics are also planned at locations across the county.
The pop-up clinics are available for anyone aged 40 or above who is yet to have their first dose. There is no need to book, eligible residents can simply walk-in but will need to provide their NHS number, date of birth, address and an email and phone number.
Details of these are shown below
Cheshire West (all clinics 10am-4pm)
• Monday, June 14th – Cheviot Street car park, Winsford, CW7 1QS
• Tuesday, June 15th – Plas Dinas Building, Blacon Point Road, Chester, CH1 5SN
• Wednesday, June 16th – Stanlaw Abbey Childrens Centre, Alnwick Drive, Ellesmere Port, CH65 9HE
• Thursday, June 17th – Hoole Community centre, Westminster Road, Chester, CH2 3AP
• Friday, June 18th – Northwich Memorial Court, Northwich, CW9 5QJ
**12th May 2021 – Covid Vaccination Status Letters**
We are unable to issue these certificates at the practice.
Please see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/demonstrating-your-covid-19-vaccination-status-when-travelling-abroad for further information.
Proof of your vaccination status will be available on the NHSapp.
The NHSapp can be downloaded from:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nhs-app/id1388411277 <https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/nhs-app/id1388411277>
for iPhone or
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhs.online.nhsonline <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nhs.online.nhsonline>
for android.
Alternatively you can call the NHS helpline on 119 (from 17 May) and ask for a letter to be posted to you. This must be at least 5 days after you’ve completed your course of the vaccine, the letter may to take up to 5 days to reach you.
**21st April 2021**
NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme update
Our GP-led local vaccination service is providing vaccinations to people in cohorts 1-9 and this will continue.
We will not be providing a vaccination service for people aged 18 to 49 when they become eligible. If you are in this cohort, you will be able to get your vaccination at other local vaccination services including hospital hubs, community pharmacies and larger vaccination centres.
What this means for you?
Cohorts 1-9
Includes those aged 50 and over, health and care workers, unpaid carers and those with a health condition that puts them at greater risk.
We are continuing to book in people in cohorts 1-9 who have not yet been vaccinated for their first dose and we will carry on doing this to make sure that no-one is left behind.
If you are eligible and haven’t had your first dose yet, please contact the practice now to make your appointment.
We will be able to give the second dose to everyone who has had their first dose of the vaccine with us. We will invite you for your second dose when this is due.
Cohorts 10-12
People aged 18 to 49
Vaccinations have been delivered according to priority groups identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
If you are aged 18 to 49, you will be contacted by the NHS when it is your turn and you will be able to choose from a range of local vaccination services including community pharmacies, hospital hubs and vaccination centres.
When your age group becomes eligible, you will be able to book your vaccine and choose a local service through the national booking service at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by phoning 119.
Please do not contact us to get an appointment. Information on the vaccine is available on the NHS.UK website.
**23rd March 2021**
Despite recent media coverage outlining a national supply issue, everyone in Cheshire West who has already had their first dose COVID vaccine will be offered their second dose within 12 weeks. Available vaccine supply is being prioritised for this purpose.
Most vaccination services in Cheshire West started vaccinating patients in early January and it has been determined nationally that second doses should be offered as close to week eleven as possible, following first dose.
Clinics are carefully planned around confirmed vaccination delivery dates in order to minimise disruption to patients. When confirmation of the delivery date for second dose vaccines has been received your GP practice will contact you to arrange your second dose appointment.
**12th March 2021**
We are working our way through Cohort 6 and will be contacting patients via telephone to book them into clinics as soon as vaccine deliveries are confirmed and clinics added on. It is likely these will continue to be at KINGSMEAD – please ask when booking.
We will be moving forward with second doses for cohorts 1-4 in priority order, again as deliveries permit, and we have been told nationally that this will be 11 weeks after the first vaccination.
We are running searches to identify patients who have had their first vaccination and may therefore be due their second so if you have moved into the area and registered with us you should be included. Please do contact us via the online consulting form if you are concerned.
If you have any concerns or queries about the process please do contact the Practice Managers directly on vrccg.oakwoodmanagers@nhs.net – please note we can not book vaccinations via this e-mail, it is for raising concerns about the practice processes and procedures.
Thank you
**8th January 2021**
If you are a front line worker and would like us to add this to your patient record please use the ONLINE CONSULTING option at the top of the page to let us know.
We will then add this as a code to your records to allow us, and other organisations, to call you when they are ready.
Front line workers are currently classed as:
• staff working on the vaccination programme
• staff who have frequent face-to-face contact with patients and who are directly involved in patient care in either secondary or primary care, mental health, urgent and emergency care and community settings
• those working in independent, voluntary and non-standard healthcare settings such as hospices, and community-based mental health or addiction services
• laboratory, pathology and mortuary staff
• those working for a sub-contracted provider of facilities services such as portering or cleaning
• temporary, locum or ‘bank’ staff, including those working in the COVID-19 vaccination programme, students, trainees and volunteers who are working with patients
• frontline social care workers directly working with vulnerable people who need care and support irrespective of where they work (for example in hospital, people’s own homes, day centres, or supported housing); or who they are employed by (for example local government, NHS, independent sector or third sector).
Update 5th January 2021:
Oakwood Medical Centre, as part of Northwich Primary Care Network will be part of the vaccination programme for Cheshire.
Our site is based at Kingsmead Medical Centre, and we will be contacting patients to book into the available slots once we have a delivery date for the vaccine.
As we have to work to Government guidelines on who can be vaccinated in which ‘phase’, please do not contact us as we will call you directly to book in. As per the update by the government on 30th December 2020 we will be working as hard as we can to roll out the vaccine for all patients.
As we will are using considerable staff time to organise and deliver the vaccinations, some things make take longer than usual and some things may need to be placed on hold. We are working as hard as we can to deliver this vaccine for our patients as well as delivering a core service at the same time. As you can imagine there is a lot of work that goes into organising this at a practice and local level, and many staff are working extra hours to ensure we can continue to provide a service while we set this up. We would greatly appreciate your patience while we roll this out.
If you or someone you know would be willing to volunteer to help support the vaccine roll-out and can be available at short notice please contact us on vrccg.oakwoodmanagers@nhs.net
On the day of the vaccinations we expect that there will be minimal cover in practice, therefore we are asking that during this time patients only contact us for emergency or urgent issues that cannot wait.
After the announcement on the 30th December 2020 please note you will be given your first appointment initially and then contacted within 12 weeks for your second dose.
Our first planned vaccination date will be Saturday 9th January 2021 11.30am at Kingsmead Medical Centre. We will continue to roll out the vaccine as it becomes available.
Patients will still be able to contact us and speak to a GP when we are vaccinating but there may be a wait. Please see our update here for more information on our services: https://www.oakwoodmedicalcentrebarnton.nhs.uk/covid-19-vaccination-update-for-all-patients/
Please find below some useful information leaflets regarding the Covid-19 vaccinations.
PHE Covid-19 guide for adults leaflet
PHE Covid-19 pregnancy leaflet
PHE Covid-19 what to expect after your COVID Vaccination leaflet
PHE Covid-19 why do I have to wait leaflet