Third Covid-19 community vaccination site up and running

Middleton Health Centre is located inside Middleton Shopping Centre

The borough’s third community vaccination centre has opened today (8 January) at Middleton Health Centre.

The clinic site, at Middleton Health Centre in Middleton Shopping Centre, will administer Covid-19 vaccinations to eligible residents as part of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history.

Local people in the nationally defined priority groups, starting with patients aged 80 and over as well as people who work in care homes and health care workers will be invited to attend for their vaccination appointment at the centre, which will operate every day between 8am and 6pm when vaccinations are taking place.

The vaccination programme is being run by groups of GPs with the support of the council and NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group.

When it is your turn to receive the vaccine you will be contacted by Rochdale Health Alliance or your GP surgery and invited to go for your appointment. If you’re not registered with a GP, you will need to register with one.

Appointments are not currently being made weeks in advance because deliveries of the vaccine are only known about a few days in advance. Admin staff can only book a first appointment for a patient when the vaccine is available so at the moment appointments will be at short notice.

The Middleton site follows on from the opening of the first two community sites at the Number One Riverside building in Rochdale town centre and the Phoenix Centre in Heywood town centre. The Riverside vaccination centre is providing vaccinations for people from parts of Middleton, Milnrow, Newhey and Littleborough as well as Rochdale.

You must have an appointment to receive the vaccine. You cannot just turn up at one of the vaccination service centres.

Clinically-trained staff will be providing the vaccinations at Middleton Health Centre in a safe environment and all the necessary instructions will be given to patients in the letter or telephone call inviting them to attend.

Local GP, Dr Louise Thompson said: “It’s a positive day for patients in Middleton that we can now deliver the vaccination programme in the heart of their community. GPs and our teams are delivering the Covid-19 vaccination programme in the community whilst also delivering the vaccine at some of the largest nursing homes in the borough. Patients will be contacted and invited for vaccination – we would urge them not to contact their GP practice enquiring about vaccinations, as we will contact them.”

Councillor Daalat Ali, the council’s cabinet member for public health, said: “This is great news for thousands of elderly and vulnerable Middleton residents and it is another positive step forward in our programme to vaccinate residents across the borough. We have already given around 3,000 vaccinations to older people and front line health and social care workers.

"Vaccination supply is still intermittent and vaccination centres are only operational when we have supply available. There are well in excess of 15,000 people in our first priority categories so people will have to be patient as we work our way through the lists. This coming week we are prioritising people over 80 and care homes. There is light at the end of the tunnel in our ongoing fight against coronavirus, but I need to emphasise that everyone needs to continue following the rules to protect each other and our health services.”