Expanded vaccination programme gets off to a strong start in Dorset
Dorset’s ramped up vaccination programme has upped the number of vaccines given to local people in its first week by almost 60% on the previous week.
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 12 December, health and care partners have been pulling out all the stops to get more vaccines into arms, with thousands of extra slots made available around the county.
Between 13 and 19 December jabbers gave around 66,000 doses across Dorset (some sites have yet to report their numbers so this is likely to be higher). This compares to 42,000 administered in the week before that.
Among those were 1,000 vulnerable people who are housebound, with around 160 more in this group to be vaccinated in the coming week.
The main activity in the expanded programme last week was:
- Extending the hours of the two existing vaccination centres at King’s Park Hospital, Bournemouth and Vespasian House, Dorchester to cover 8am to 8pm. Slots are being booked up very quickly once available on the booking system
- Setting up a third centre at Sentinel House, Poole (Dorset HealthCare’s headquarters). This opened for NHS staff on Friday 17 December and is now available on the NHS national booking system for the public
- A walk-in pop-up centre run by Shore Medical (PCN) at the Territorial Army Centre in Wallisdown, Poole gave around 900 doses in a day.
Dr Andy Rutland, clinical lead for the vaccination programme, said:
“This has been an incredible effort by the NHS, with support from all our partners, to step up this programme even more. It’s been wonderful to see local people responding so well and coming in for their jabs.”
GP-led clinics and pharmacies (sites shown here) are also increasing the slots available, with a speedier through-put possible now the 15 minute wait post-vaccination is no longer required.
This week University Hospitals Dorset is running a clinic with booked appointments in its new health village in Beales department store, Poole.
In areas of the county where there is insufficient capacity additional pop-up clinics are being planned – organisers are continually assessing take-up and availability and adapting arrangements.
Dawn Dawson, Director of Nursing, Therapies and Quality at Dorset HealthCare said:
“We now have over 180 additional staff in the pipeline to become vaccinators. These staff are being onboarded and trained so that they can be deployed where needed across the system.
“We really can’t thank everyone enough – our incredible staff who are working so hard, our lovely volunteers who make the experience so positive and all the local people who have come forward for their jab.
“Please encourage your friends and family to come forward – we are ready to give them their dose of the life-saving vaccine to help protect Dorset’s communities.”
The best way to arrange your vaccination is to book it using the NHS national booking system – new appointments are being put on all the time so keep checking for one near you.
Once capacity and bookings are assessed each day, last minute walk-in availability may be available at some sites. Health and care organisations will release these on social media (follow @DorsetHealth and @DorsetCCG on Twitter and Facebook).
In numbers (at 17/12/21):
- 1.184 million first and second doses in arms in total in Dorset
- 312,535 boosters and third primary doses delivered
- In the last month, we have been delivering around 33,000 boosters a week
- 83.7% per cent of the eligible population have received a first dose in Dorset
- 93.5% per cent of over 50s in Dorset have received one dose and 92.5% per cent have received two doses
- Around 79% of eligible people over the age of 50 have had a booster, with 60% of all over 18s eligible receiving a booster
- We are continuing to deliver first and second doses, giving on average between 1,000 to 1,500 first doses a week.