14th December 2020
COVID-19 vaccinations in Sussex
healthwatchbrightonandhove.co.uk
We are sharing an update about the vaccination programme.
We have created a dedicated page on the Healthwatch Brighton and Hove website which contains the latest information. We will be keeping this page regularly updated.
We have included answers to some of your questions. Thank you for sharing your comments and questions with us. We have already shared these with NHS Commissioners who are responsible for rolling-out the vaccination programme. They are using these to develop additional guidance which will include on our website as these become available.
Today (14th December), a limited number of GPs will begin offering COVID vaccines as part of biggest NHS immunisation programme. More information can be found by clicking here.
If you have any specific queries please email office@healthwatchbrightonandhove.co.uk, marking your emails “Vaccination question”.
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Background information
The NHS in Sussex has begun vaccinating patients against coronavirus, starting at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) in Brighton. The RSCH was the first Sussex site to receive the vaccine, with further deliveries expected to all Sussex acute hospital sites over the coming weeks. These sites will be known as Hospital Hubs.
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 vaccine.
The Government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said that vaccines should first be given to care home residents and staff, people aged over 80 and health and care workers before being rolled out to the rest of the population in order of age and risk.
Delivering the Pfizer vaccine is complex as 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. This makes it very difficult to deliver in care homes at present. While safe and effective ways to overcome these challenges are being developed, care home staff will be invited to receive the vaccine from the hospital hubs and other sites as they come online.
Health and care staff will also be eligible to receive the vaccine alongside the over 80s and care home staff, starting with the most vulnerable. The arrival of a safe, effective vaccine is a remarkable scientific breakthrough but we know that delivering it will be a marathon and not a sprint.
In addition to hospital hubs at other acute sites across Sussex, a number of GP-led local vaccination services will start delivering the vaccine today (14th December), with more to follow in a phased manner. Larger vaccination centres will also be established as further supplies of vaccine come on stream.
Staff from across Sussex will be supporting this historic vaccination effort. Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust are leading the work to recruit and train more staff – both clinical and non-clinical – so that the NHS in Sussex can deliver this unprecedented immunisation programme without impacting on other vital services. Visit www.ksscovid.nhs.uk to find out more.
The public is being asked to do three things to help with the roll out of vaccinations:
1. The NHS will contact you when it’s your turn, so please be patient until then.
2. Please act on your invite when it comes, and make sure you attend your appointments.
3. Remember Hands, Face, Space. It will save lives and help the NHS.”
More information and resources
Key information relating to the vaccination programme is being updated online and you can visit the following pages for all of the latest information and materials (including patient leaflets).
We are expecting copies of these materials in alternative formats and languages over the coming days and we will share these as soon as possible.
Visit the Sussex Health and Care Partnership website.
Or copy this address into your web browser: here: https://www.sussexhealthandcare.uk/keepsussexsafe/sussex-covid-19-vaccination-programme/
All the best
Healthwatch Team
01273 234 041
