At present vaccinations are taking place in hospital hubs; GP led vaccination services; roving services to care homes and the housebound; and in mass vaccination sites/pharmacy sites across the country.
If you are aged over 70 or extremely clinically vulnerable and have not yet received a vaccination appointment please contact the NHS to make one. You can do this by ringing 119 or logging on to the NHS website here.
Newholme Hospital was chosen as the hub for Bakewell and surrounding areas, and its vaccination programme is being run by Derbyshire Dales Primary Care Network (PCN), in conjunction with Derbyshire Community Health Services (DCHS). The PCN is a collaborative of 13 GP practices across the Derbyshire Dales.
St Oswalds Hospital was chosen as the hub for Ashbourne and surrounding areas.
You may be asked to attend a vaccination centre outside of the constituency.
GP-led vaccination services
Patients will be contacted when their vaccine is available and I am asking everyone to avoid contacting their surgery in the meantime. It is possible that people are hearing of neighbours receiving the vaccination, but this will only be because they are registered with a GP practice that is in the first round for the vaccination programme rollout, or are a member of NHS or adult care staff. Everyone has an important part to play and we’re asking people to remember the following:
- Please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine, they will contact you
- When they do contact you, please attend your booked appointments
- Do not write letters to the GP asking for a vaccine
- Do not turn up at the GP asking for a vaccine
- If you think you have been wrongly missed out of the vaccination programme, please email me at [email protected] and I will do my best to help.
- Please continue to follow all the guidance to control the virus and save lives
Roving service – the vaccine is being taken into care homes and into people’s own homes if they cannot attend a vaccination site. This is being stepped up over the coming weeks as more supplies of the vaccines become available. GP surgeries are in the processing of contacting their housebound patients in order to schedule their vaccinations.
Travel to Vaccination Sites:
Please be aware that under government guidelines a family member or friend is permitted to take a person to their COVID-19 vaccine appointment, which is classed as an exemption as it is a ‘medical appointment’. Guidance on how to do this safely is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#private-cars-and-other-vehicles (scroll down to ‘Car sharing’).
When going for a vaccination
- People are asked not to arrive early for appointments. Arriving on time will help manage numbers at the site and help to keep everyone safe.
- Always remember Hands, Face, Space. It will save lives and help the NHS.