Vaccination programme
The first pharmacy in West Sussex has started giving vaccinations as we continue our call for nobody to be more than ten minutes away from a jab – not ten miles.
The first pharmacy-led Covid-19 accination centre in West Sussex has opened its doors to patients. The County Times’ A Shot in the Arm campaign, also being run by other JPIMedia titles across the country, has called for nobody to be more than a ten-minute walk away from a vaccine – not ten miles away.
The key is enabling community pharmacies, many of which already adminster the annual flu vaccination, to give the Covid jab.
Last week, we reported that the campaign had taken a significant step forward, with Ticehurst Pharmacy, in East Sussex, becoming one of 200 across the UK to offer the jab. Since then it has been joined by one in Ore, Hastings. Now, Midhurst Pharmacy has joined the ranks, with hopes high that others will follow.
Midhurst Pharmacy owner Raj Rohilla said: “I’ve worked hard to ensure everyone coming through our doors will have a good patient experience and feel safe. We have the capacity, working with support from our fantastic community team, to administer well above the minimum 1,000 doses per week.”
Mark Donaghy, chairman of West Sussex Local Pharmaceutical Committee, said having a community pharmacy-led Covid-19 vaccination centre in operation will provide ‘fantastic provision for the area’.
He added: “It’s great to see the first pharmacy-led vaccination centre go live in West Sussex. We know Raj and his team will provide an excellent service to the population of Midhurst. Pharmacists across the county are ready and willing to participate in the vaccination programme, so this is a positive step.
“We know that patients value local access and call upon NHS England to allow all West Sussex pharmacies to administer the Covid vaccine. We know that pharmacies can make a significant contribution to the national vaccination efforts.”
As with all vaccine centres, people should not turn up at the venue expecting to receive a jab.
They will receive a letter, inviting them to book a vaccine appointment through the online NHS booking service.
The Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) in West Sussex, East Sussex and Surrey have said that if pharmacies in all three counties vaccinated 20 people a day for every day they are open in a week then 10,400 people could receive their jabs.
Almost 12,000 people registered with Horsham GPs have now received vaccinations against Covid-19.
A total of 5,747 have had their jabs at Christ’s Hospital Bluecoats Sports Club and another 6,000 have been given vaccines at Park Surgery in Horsham.
Patients registered with
Courtyard Surgery, Cowfold Surgery, Rudgwick Surgery and The Village Surgery in Southwater are being vaccinated at the Bluecoats site.
And patients registered with Park, Holbrook, Orchard and Riverside surgeries are having their inoculations at the Park Surgery site.
This week people aged 7075 years old are being invited to the Bluecoats centre, along with those who have received shielding letters.
Park Surgery says it is currently
calling 75 - 80-year-olds ‘prioritising those most at risk.’
And Sussex NHS Commissioners said that residents living in all care homes for older people across Sussex had now been offered the Covid-19 vaccine. A few homes had their visits deferred for safety reasons during local outbreaks, but will be visited as soon as possible.
Frontline health and care staff across Sussex continue to be able to access the vaccine daily at one of our hospital hubs or vaccination centres.