‘Largely empty’ Staff hit out at super-hub ‘1,000 jabs a day’ claim
AFLAGSHIP coronavirus vaccination ‘super-centre’ visited by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month has been left largely empty and massively under-used, it has been claimed.
Frustrated staff and volunteers were angered when health chiefs said more than 1,000 people a day were being vaccinated at the Ashton Gate vaccination supercentre in Bristol.
But the reality, claim staff, is that the centre has not seen more than 1,000 people a day once during February, and numbers getting their Covid-19 jabs fell so low earlier this week that only 82 people went in on Monday.
The man in charge of the vaccination programme for the Bristol region admitted there were “natural ebbs and flows” across all vaccination centres, and acknowledged there were “lower bookings” at Ashton Gate this week.
The centre in the South Stand of Bristol’s biggest venue is open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, and opened in early January.
At that time, the man in charge of the vaccination programme for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, Tim Whittlestone, said the centre would be able to vaccinate 10,000 people a week, or around 1,400 a day, and that they could move to a 24-hour operation if there was both the supply of the vaccine and the demand for it.
The Post understands the centre was regularly running at more than 1,000 jabs a day for the first few weeks, but since the start of February numbers through the doors have declined.
“We haven’t been anywhere near 1,000 vaccinations per day since the end of January,” one source at the vaccination centre said.
“Over the last three weeks, we’ve been vaccinating around 200 to 300 people a day. Our practical capacity is about 1,400 per day.”
Another source said the numbers being given the jab at Ashton Gate were down to just 82 on Monday this week, and back up to 211 on Tuesday.
The regional Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has consistently declined to issue figures for the numbers of vaccines administered at individual centres. Numbers are released weekly on a region-wide basis.
The most recent figures, to February 18, show 230,650 vaccinations have been carried out in total across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
The region, and the wider South West, has seen some of the highest percentages of take-up in the progot gramme’s priority groups.
On Monday, the Post website Bristol Live reported that a CCG spokesperson said: “Ashton Gate is regularly delivering up to 1,200 vaccines a day – recognising that there have been fluctuations in numbers vaccinated per day as we near the end of each priority group.”
But people who work or volunteer there told the Post they were left angry and frustrated by that statement, claiming there had not been a day in February which had anywhere near that figure, and staff were “spending all day doing little in a largely empty centre”.
One said: “I am doing this job because I have absolute confidence that vaccination is our only way to control this pandemic.
“I really wish we were running at or near capacity. Even 50 per cent of capacity would be great compared to this.”
Other sources among staff at Ashton Gate said CCG bosses made them sign secrecy documents which forbid them from speaking to the media about the programme there, and said they did not want to be named for fear of losing their jobs.
Since the opening of the centre, 19 GP surgeries and health centres have opened their own jab centres, and a growing number of pharmacies are also offering the vaccine.
When approached by the Post, the CCG declined to provide detailed daily figures for Ashton Gate, but acknowledged they are currently much lower, because of the nature of the people now getting their vaccine invitations.
Dr Whittlestone, clinical lead for the NHS vaccination programme in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) said: “Our GPs, pharmacies, hospital hubs and mass vaccination centre are working together to offer eligible people a vaccination in the most appropriate setting possible.
“As we move through the priority groups, there will be natural ebbs and flows across all our vaccination settings.
“Our current focus is on priority group 6 which is large and covers a wide age range (16-64 years) and many health conditions, as well as unpaid carers. For the large number of people with underlying health conditions within group 6, it is most appropriate for them to be invited for vaccination by their GP, who has an understanding of their health needs.
“When vaccination settings are quieter, we are taking advantage of the opportunity to provide dedicated clinics for people who have specific needs.
“For example, at Ashton Gate, we are using the opportunity of lower bookings this week to host a series of dedicated clinics for people with mild to severe learning disabilities as part of priority group 6.”
Dr Whittlestone reassured people in Bristol that vaccines were not going to waste.
He said: “We are working tirelessly to vaccinate people as quickly as possible using every potential slot and every dose of vaccine as soon as we receive it.
“We have made excellent progress with priority groups 1-5 and BNSSG has contributed to the South West being one of the best performing regions in the UK in terms of vaccine rollout.”
❝ I wish we were running at or near capacity. Even 50 per cent of capacity would be great compared to this Vaccination worker
AN abandoned and unloved property in one of Portishead’s most prestigious roads has sold for more than double its guide price at auction.
The three-storey property in Beach Road West caused a bidding frenzy when it went under the hammer earlier this month.
The dilapidated property, which enjoys views across the Bristol Channel, had initially been put up for auction with a guide price of £325,000.
But it sold for more than double, with the gavel coming down at a staggering £716,000.
The property was on the market with Maggs and Allen Commercial and Investment.
It has not been revealed who the purchaser of the property is and whether it was a private individual or developer.
Scores of people were bidding for the property in the live streamed auction with telephone bids, proxy bids and online bids.
Maggs and Allen owner Anna Maggs said: “It was frenzied bidding, and it was a wide range of people taking part in the auction.
“I knew the property was going to do well at auction because of the number of viewings which we had done.
“But I was not expecting it to reach that price.
“I think it did well because it’s not something which comes onto the market every day. Due to this it’s always difficult to come up with an exact price.
“With the potential this property offered, people were prepared to pay to secure it.”
Whoever the new owner is, it’s fair to say they’ve taken on quite a project.
The property was built around 1950 but has been uninhabited for years and is in need of a complete renovation.
Although the kitchen and bathroom have seen better days, the fact it sits on a 0.2acre plot offers a lot of potential to the new owner either to completely refurbish or demolish and rebuild, subject to planning permission.
The property could be restored into a fabulous family home.
The accommodation, complete with its remaining Victorian features, is arranged over three floors – basement, ground and first floor, offering great flexibility in terms of the internal layout.
To the front of the property is a driveway providing off-street parking and to the rear is an extensive garden with exceptional, far-reaching views.
On the ground floor there is an entrance hall, living room with large bay window and a reception room/bedroom.
On the first floor there is a large master bedroom, another bedroom currently divided into two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.
The large basement comprises two rooms, a large entrance hall and various store rooms.
The property sits just a stone’s throw away from the town’s Lake Grounds – described as the “jewel in North Somerset’s crown” – and the seafront along with the Portishead Open Air Pool.
It is also just a short walk from the town’s bustling High Street.
But the best news about this house sale is that the proceeds will be shared amongst local charities.
Anna said: “This is a fantastic outcome as many charities who are struggling due to the pandemic will benefit.”