100 thousand vaccinated at Clatterbridge Hospital vaccination hub
More than 100,000 COVID-19 vaccinations have now been given to Wirral residents by the vaccination team at Wirral University Teaching Hospital’s (WUTH) Clatterbridge Vaccination Centre. The team is making a vital contribution the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine to the Wirral community.
Clatterbridge was one of the first 50 national sites selected to deliver COVID 19 vaccinations to people in England. The site was chosen because it could support the storage at ultra-low temperature of -70C and the ‘cold chain’ logistics required for the vaccine.
Vaccination started at the hub on Tuesday 8th December 2020. Planning had been underway for some time and once deliveries were confirmed, staff worked late and over the weekend, to be ready to receive the first shipment of the vaccine on Monday 6th December. The first people to be vaccinated were those aged 80 and over, care home staff and frontline NHS staff, following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation guidelines on who should be prioritised for vaccination.
Dr Nikki Stevenson, Executive Medical Director, Deputy CEO and Consultant Respiratory Physician at WUTH said:
“I’m extremely proud of the team at the Clatterbridge Vaccination Centre, playing a vital part in the NHS COVID-19 response. Both clinical and non-clinical staff have worked hard to ensure that everyone who comes here receives the best care, from the welcome at the entrance, completing their registration, being vaccinated and resting afterwards. ”
Healthwatch Wirral ran a survey asking people who used the Clatterbridge Centre about their experience of the service. Patients described staff as ‘friendly’, ‘professional’ and ‘reassuring’. From the 112 leaflets collected from Clatterbridge the overall feedback was extremely positive, with 98% of people leaving feedback rating their quality of care and cleanliness of the centre as five star.
The Clatterbridge Vaccination Centre has appointments available Monday to Saturday and are currently running sessions to support the vaccination of healthy 12-15 year olds on Sundays. You can book either on the NHS National Booking System or online through the WUTH website https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/your-health/covid-19-vaccination/covid-19-vaccination-booking/ The centre is at Cedar House on the Clatterbridge Hospital site, where there is free parking for people with appointments. Hospital staff can also access their flu vaccines at the same time.
Pippa Roberts, WUTH Director of Pharmacy System Lead Medicines Optimisation Wirral has overall responsibility for the vaccination programme at Clatterbridge. She has recorded a video about how vital the vaccines are and explaining why and how you should be vaccinated. Pippa talks about her family and the importance of getting vaccinated for COVID-19 and flu, plus addresses concerns from pregnant and breastfeeding women. You can watch the video here