Update to Etchingham Vaccination Hub

Rural Rother vaccination site – Etchingham

Update on COVID-19 vaccination service – GP led service set to go live in Etchingham next week

Thanks to an extraordinary effort by the NHS across Sussex, a new GP led vaccination service is due to go live next week to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to people in Rural Rother.

The GP led vaccination service at Etchingham Village Hall will be a partnership between Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and the following GP practices:

Fairfield Surgery, Ferry Road Health Centre, Martins Oak Surgery, Northiam and Broad Oak Surgery, Oldwood Surgery and Battle Health Centre, Rye Medical Centre, and Sedlescombe and Westfield Surgeries.

The service will offer vaccine appointments to registered patients at the GP practices in line with the national priority groups, starting with those who are over the age of 80.

Preparations at Etchingham Village Hall are being finalised this week with the aim that the first vaccines will begin to be administered at the start of next week, subject to a confirmed vaccine delivery date.

The GP practice teams have been identifying their patients who are eligible at this stage and appointments will be booked in over the coming days.

Each of the GP practices in Rural Rother have small sites and small staff numbers compared to large urban GP practices, and so did not feel they could continue to provide high levels of care for their patients and support the programme initially in the way it had to be implemented according to the national model.

However, this new GP led service will mean the GP practices and SCFT work together to bring all of their local knowledge to support the roll out of the vaccination programme to patients.

We would like reassure everyone that there are discussions about further locations in the area and how the vaccination can be transported and offered from GP practices.

The location of the GP-led vaccination service does not affect the speed by which people living in the Rural Rother area will receive their vaccination.

We recognise that at the current time, with one site at Etchingham, some people will have to travel further than others to get their vaccination depending on where they live in the local area.

If anyone is concerned about how they will travel to get a vaccine during lockdown, it should be noted that, under the national guidance, it is permissible to receive a lift from someone, pay for transport if you are able or there are some community transport providers offering this support in terms of transport for medical appointments.

You can find information about community and non-emergency transport on the East Sussex County Council website, or call the community hub on 01273 099956.

People are asked not to contact your GP practice but to wait until you are contacted. You will be contacted as soon as an appointment is available for you.

We are also asking people not to turn up early for their appointments. Arriving on time will help us manage the number of people at the venue and help keep our patients and staff safe.

As we roll out vaccines, we’d like to remind people of 3 things:

1. The NHS will contact you when it’s your turn, so please do not contact us beforehand.

2. Please act on your invite when it comes.

3. Remember Hands, Face, Space. It will save lives and help the NHS

Click Here to see full Statement:

More information on the COVID-19 vaccination programme is available here: www.sussexhealthandcare.uk/keepsussexsafe/sussex-covid-19-vaccinationprogramme/covid-19-vaccination-sites/