Peterborough City Hospital selected as one of first COVID vaccination hubs

Last week the Peterborough Telegraph confirmed North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust - which runs Peterborough City, Hinchingbrooke and Stamford and Rutland hospitals had been selected as a hub, but no further information was available at the time.

MORE: Peterborough hospital trust listed as 'COVID vaccine hub'Today the trust confirmed the Peterborough facility would be the hub.

Dr Kanchan Rege, Chief Medical Officer for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust says, "We are really proud and excited to be such an integral part of delivering the national vaccination programme.

"We know that vaccinating the country is a monumental task and we will be taking advice and guidance with regards to priority groups and implementing any new guidance that arises.

"We ask all of our patients, visitors and staff to remember how important it is to remain vigilant and to protect themselves and eachother. This is a marathon and not a sprint and it is imperative that we continue with all of the protective measures we have in place to help prevent the spread of the virus."

The NHS will begin vaccinating patients against coronavirus at dozens of hospital hubs from this week at the start of the biggest immunisation programme in history. People aged 80 and over as well as care home workers will be first to receive the jab, along with NHS workers who are at higher risk.

NHS staff have worked through the weekend to prepare for the launch of the programme with the first vaccinations happening from Tuesday.

There are 50 hubs in the first wave and more hospitals will start vaccinating over the coming weeks and months as the programme ramps up. Patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital as an outpatient, and those who are being discharged home after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the life-saving jab.

Hospitals will also begin inviting over 80s in for a jab and work with care home providers to book their staff in to vaccination clinics. Any appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from Covid. All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later.

GPs and other primary care staff are also being put on standby to start delivering the jab. A small number of GP-led primary care networks will begin doing so during the following week (week beginning 14 December) with more practices in more parts of the country joining in on a phased basis during December and in the coming months.

Vaccination centres treating large numbers of patients in sporting venues and conference centres will subsequently stand up when further supplies of vaccine come on stream.

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “Despite the huge complexities, hospitals will kickstart the first phase of the largest scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history from Tuesday. The first tranche of vaccine deliveries will be landing at hospitals by Monday in readiness.

“The NHS has a strong record of delivering large scale vaccination programmes – from the flu jab, HPV vaccine and lifesaving MMR jabs – hardworking staff will once again rise to the challenge to protect the most vulnerable people from this awful disease.”

The life-saving vaccine is typically delivered by a simple injection in the shoulder but there is a complex and difficult logistical challenge to deliver from the manufacturers Pfizer to patients. It needs to be stored at -70C before being thawed out and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before being used.

NHS staff have been working over the weekend to prepare the sites and accept deliveries. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This coming week will be an historic moment as we begin vaccination against COVID-19.

“We are prioritising the most vulnerable first and over-80s, care home staff and NHS colleagues will all be among the first to receive the vaccines.

“We are doing everything we can to make sure we can overcome significant challenges to vaccinate care home residents as soon as possible too.

“I urge everybody to play their part to suppress this virus and follow the local restrictions to protect the NHS while they carry out this crucial work.”