ONE of the first seven Covid-19 Vaccination Centres in the country will open and begin vaccinating the public and healthcare staff for Greater Manchester on Monday.
The vaccination centre located at the Tennis and Football Centre – Etihad Campus in Manchester will be used in the first instance to vaccinate those who are 80 years old or over, if they haven’t already been vaccinated by their local GP or hospital vaccine hub.
Health and care workers within Greater Manchester will also be invited to be vaccinated.
The centre will be run by the NHS in Greater Manchester as part of the region’s Covid-19 vaccination programme. It will be run on a strict appointment only basis, with the NHS contacting people directly for those who are eligible to book their appointments over the coming days.
The NHS is already making sure patients and staff are booked in for Monday. Those who are eligible will receive a letter from the NHS containing details about how to book an appointment either online or via a central telephone number.
The mobilisation of the centre is a collaboration between a number of organisations, involving Manchester City Council, Manchester City Football Club, the Ministry of Defence, volunteers from St John’s Ambulance and the Royal Voluntary Service, and a number of NHS organisations including the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (which runs Salford Royal) as the lead NHS provider responsible for the running of the centre, alongside Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust which is responsible for the recruitment and staffing of the centre.
Jacqui Burrow, Director of Nursing at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group and Programme Director for the GM Vaccination Centre, said:
“Staff have been working around the clock to mobilise this service. They have come together from a wide range of organisations and disciplines including immunisation and vaccination services, nursing, estates, pharmacy, organisational development, IT and staff training. We are very proud of what has been achieved in setting up the first vaccination centre in Greater Manchester. This is a significant and positive step forward for us in the fight against Covid-19.
“This would not have been possible without the support from our local system partners in particular Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Trust and Manchester City Football Club; it is a true example of collaborative working at its best. I’d like to thank colleagues from across our various organisations who have worked so hard behind the scenes in both clinical and non-clinical teams to enable this centre to get up and running quickly and safely.
“Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on lives and livelihoods in Greater Manchester and the opening of this vaccination centre represents a vital next step in the region’s recovery from the pandemic and will enable us to deliver the vaccine at pace, protecting our local communities.
“To ensure that those who are greatest risk get their vaccination first, we are asking the public to help us and wait for the NHS to contact you. Please do not contact or turn up to the centre without an appointment. The NHS will contact you directly to invite you to book and have your vaccination when it’s your turn.”
The vaccination centre will be staffed by clinicians and a range of qualified volunteers. The team includes a combination of NHS staff, as well as people who have returned to their profession to support the vaccination programme.
Volunteers from St John’s Ambulance will be providing support for the smooth running of the centres in three different roles: fully trained vaccinators, post vaccination observers and patient advocates.
As well as these volunteers, NHS Responders coordinated by the Royal Voluntary Service will also be providing volunteers to be stewards who play a crucial role in help people through the centre, improving the patient journey.
Sarah Price, Chief Officer at Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said:
“The centre is one part of the jigsaw in a large scale vaccination programme that will eventually include over 75 points across the city region where people can receive their vaccination. It is a true collaboration of the NHS, public and private sector from across the whole city region”.
How are people supposed to travel to the Etihad if unable to drive? Pubic transport surely places you and others at risk, and is not recommended. I know that people need to be vaccinated asap, but will there be local sites for those who don’t have private transport or who don’t feel secure about travelling in proximity to others?
Even though I’m disabled myself I would be more than happy to offer my services to assist in picking up disabled senior citizens patients from their choice of location to the vacination point and back to their choice of dropping off point..I know what it must feel like when you don’t have transportation and have to rely on public transportation and you may have a limited amount of money. The only thing I ask for in return is that you the same as myself is to (Musk-Up)..