Patients’ ‘relief’ in having Nightingale vaccinations
The NHS Nightingale Hospital North East, off the A19 near Nissan, started delivering the life-saving vaccine to health and social care staff on Monday.
The centre, which is capable of delivering thousands of jabs every week, carried out 750 vaccines on its opening day.
Open seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm, the facility isprimarilyvaccinatinghealth and social care staff working on the frontline, but has now startedtovaccinatethoseaged 70 and over.
Professor Neil Watson, Chief Operating Officer in charge of the Covid Vaccine roll out for the North East and North Cumbria, said: "We started slowly, we started gently. 750 vaccinations were done yesterday, but this site hasthecapabilitytoopenfour times the capacity we have at the moment.
"We can flex that depending on how the vaccination progress is for the North East andCumbriaandwewillkeep a very close eye on that.”
People in their 70s, who live 30 to 45-minutes drive away, are now being invited to book an appointment at the Nightingale or the Centre For Life in Newcastle – the other large-scalevaccinationcentre in the region.
They will receive an invitation letter from the NHS national booking service which will explain how they can book a slot – over the phone or online through the national booking service.
This is in addition to local health and social care workers who are being invited via their employers to book appointments.
Vaccination centres offer an alternative to local GP vaccination services and people over 70s can also wait until they receive an invitation from their own GP practice.
Ian Montgomery, 76, from Cleadon, was among the first to have his vaccine at the Nightingale.
He said: “It felt much the same as the normal flu jab you get in the autumn.
"My wife got the letter and booked us both in. I feel relieved to have it now.”
When patients first arrive at the hospital, they will be checked in at the reception desk before undergoing a clinical assessment to ensure they are able to have the vaccination.
They will then receive the vaccine and be asked to wait for about 15 minutes before they drive home. However, those who are not driving can leave after a few minutes.
The centre has about 70 staff and workers from St John's Ambulance, the fire service and the Army also helping with the rollout.
Although it is now being used as a vaccination centre, the Nightingale Hospital remains on standby to be used as an overflow facility if the number of Covid-19 patients became too high for the region’s hospitals to treat. The hospital opened in May 2020 but is yet to treat a patient.
Jessica Salmon, 29, from Sunderland, works for the British Red Cross Ambulance Service and was among the frontline staff receiving her vaccination.
She said: "I only made the appointment yesterday and came in first thing this morning so it was very quick, efficient, really easy.
"It does feel a relief to get the vaccine because I have not had the virus yet.
"I think being on the frontline every day, you’re just constantly in fear that you might get it, so hopefully this will be enough to protect me and then also protect the patients."