Below is a copy and paste from a document sent out by Garry Whiting, Heathgate Medical Practice & Lead Manager for the Poringland Centre:
Update – Covid 19 Vaccinations Message from Heathgate Medical Practice and Old Mill and Millgates Surgery
Thank you for your comments after my last message. I promised to keep you up to date and so have this update for you.
Our local vaccination programme is continuing and over 4,000 of our initial cohort of 16,000 priority patients have now passed through our vaccination centre at the Poringland Community Centre in just over 2 weeks, receiving their first dose. These patients are in the national priority listings which the Government has announced.
You will recall we have had to work in groups of GP Practices rather than vaccinate alone and the teams from the nine practices in our group, working out of Poringland, are working hard to arrange appointments, vaccinate and record vaccinations in the new national software being used.
Vaccine supply continues to be scheduled for us and we are using the Pfizer vaccine that NHS England is sending us, at times with short notice.
We are using every dose and some of you may have had last minute calls to attend when booked patients have not kept their appointments.
We have used our smaller supply of Astra Zeneca (AZ) vaccines for our Care Home residents and staff. There are fewer restrictions on moving the AZ vaccine.
As well as managing vaccination through the centre, we have visited 35 care homes to vaccinate residents and staff and are visiting vulnerable patients at home who can not get to the Centre.
You may see teams of clinicians visiting patients homes in our area today.
Booking teams from across the 9 GP Practices are continuing to call and offer patients appointments for vaccination. We are moving through those aged 70 plus now. That’s a long list! Many of you have chosen to visit the mass vaccination site in Norwich and this remains an option providing you have had a national letter inviting you to book.
Thank you to those of you who have provided such positive feedback of our efforts after visiting the Centre. I would like to extend my personal thanks for the way people have worked with us as they have attended, the staff from our Practices and the magnificent volunteers that have supported us with car park duties, observing the rest area after vaccination and providing staff with tea and coffee.
Continued thanks to the Community Centre staff, local agencies, the police and the parish council.
Again I would ask that you do not call Practices to see where you are on the list to call. Our teams are working through the lists as quickly as they can based on the vaccine supplies we are allocated for the specific cohorts of patients announced by the Government so far.
I’ll keep you posted.
Garry Whiting
Managing Partner
Heathgate Medical Practice
Lead Manager for the Poringland Centre
Alpington and Yelverton 