Sutton Town Hall opens as new vaccination centre

Venue to triple the number of jabs

AS the success of the Covid-19 vaccination programme gathers pace, Sutton Coldfield Group Practice has announced a change of vaccination arrangements from next Monday, February 1.

The practice has been granted permission by NHS England to change the designated Falcon Lodge Medical Centre to the town hall, which will enable it to triple current rollout capacity, which currently stands at 2,300 per week at Falcon Lodge.

That site will revert to a surgery and be open to patients again, while Ley Hill Surgery will continue to provide vaccinations.

“Once again we are indebted to the patience of the patients of that site for the loan of their medical facilities,” a spokesman said.

There will be also be free parking in the pay and display car park on Anchorage Road opposite the town hall and The Townhouse (Royal) pub has also granted free parking there for people attending for vaccination. A temporary pedestrian crossing will be put in place in the vicinity in the next few days. Either the Pfizer or Astra Zeneca ‘Oxford’ vaccines, both of which are very effective, will be administered depending on the deliveries received.

A spokesman for the practice said that permission for the change had been granted after a lot of work behind the scenes aided by University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Trust, Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (BSOL CCG), Sutton Coldfield Town Council and local MP Andrew Mitchell.

A spokesperson added: “To avoid any confusion we are continuing to vaccinate at Falcon Lodge right up to this Sunday, so please turn up if you have an appointment for vaccination this weekend.

“We have a wide pool of vaccinators including retired doctors and nurses, paramedics, nurses seconded from different organisations, physios, podiatrists etc to enable us to continue to deliver medical services from our individual sites. The site will be active for 9 hours per day 7 days a week vaccine supply permitting.

“We are pleased to report that Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust (BCHC) staff have also begun doing home visits to vaccinate our housebound patients who are not able to travel to any vaccination centres.”

The practice said it has received positive feedback from patients who have had their vaccinations at Millennium Point in Birmingham city centre. There is free parking right next to the centre and it is well signposted and marshalled with short waits.

So if patients are invited to be vaccinated there you should do so if you are able to travel there fairly easily but if you cannot then we will be calling for you to have your vaccine given locally so please don’t worry.

Also some patients are being invited to M W Phillips pharmacy in Great Barr for their vaccinations, with further updates in due course.