The seven-day vaccination programme at Sutton town hall which has been a huge success, was temporarily scaled back to allow for vaccines to be diverted to assist other areas.

The vaccination rollout was suspended last Monday, as the vaccine was sent to other centres further behind with vaccinations.

Since opening as a vaccination centre for Sutton Coldfield Group Practice, the site has been open seven-days-a-week and last week started vaccinating over-65s, well ahead of schedule

Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for organising the Covid vaccine roll out in the area, said people in Sutton Coldfield was ahead other areas.

At the end of last week, Sutton Coldfield Group Practice, said it had vaccinated to 17,842 patients across the town. The include:

• 80 years of age and over
• 75 – 79 year olds
• 70 – 74 year olds OR clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
• Care Homes

If you, or someone you know, fall into one of the above groups and still haven’t heard from from your practice, please make sure your contact details are up to date so they can get in touch. You can easily update your details via your practice website under Reception & Enquiries.

The practice reported that with some support from the Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust (BCHC) staff, it has now vaccinated the majority of our housebound patients. This means they have now protected those most vulnerable within the top four eligible groups across Sutton Coldfield.

There were a few housebound patients that we were unable to get in contact with. If you are housebound and were not vaccinated at home last weekend (6th-7th February) or know someone who wasn’t, please do get in touch with the usual surgery in order for us to record your up to date contact details. We can then arrange for someone to call you to organise a suitable time for us to come and visit you administer your vaccine.

The Government confirmed that everyone in the top four priority groups in the JCVI’s phase one list, more than 15 million people, have been offered the Covid vaccine by February 14 – a day ahead of its target.

Anyone in those top four priority groups can now book an appointment, as can anyone aged over 65, by visiting: https://www.birminghamandsolihullcovidvaccine.nhs.uk/book/ But anyone who is not eligible will be turned away.

Those in the eligible categories can book their Covid vaccination at two mass vaccination centres in Birmingham, at Millennium Point and at Villa Park.

Sutton residents praise rollout

Residents in Sutton Coldfield have praised the Covid 19 vaccination programme currently being rolled out in the town ahead of schedule.

People over the age of 65 are now having their jab in what one resident described as an operation being run with military precision by Sutton Coldfield Group Practice.

The town hall set up is impressive, with a small army of vaccinators, aided by another small army of volunteers operating an efficient one-way system that sees people in, vaccinated and out in as little as five minutes.

It comes after another busy week last week at at  the town hall, where the practice, which includes Tudor Practice, Ley Hill Surgery, Four Oaks Medical Centre, The Vesey Practice, Sutton Park Surgery and Falcon Medical Centre, managed to administer another 3,142 first vaccines for patients across Sutton Coldfield.

Resident Patrick James is one of the first cohort of over 65s to get his jab, along with wife Joan.

The 66-year-old from Four Oaks said: “It’s a hugely impressive operation. You pull up at the free car park, where stewards guide you on how long you have to wait. That was no time all in our case, as they were ahead of schedule.

“The other volunteers guide you through registration and then into cubicles where the shot, either the Pfizer or Astrazenca, is administered. You are given a your instruction leaflet and after a quick check, sent merrily on your way. Very slick indeed.”

A member of the medical team said the transfer of vaccinations from Falcon Lodge Medical Centre to Sutton Coldfield Town Hall had allowed the medical teams to triple current rollout.

“We are well ahead of schedule and it’s been extremely busy,” she said.

Mr James added: “We were surprised to get the call from the GP earlier this week to come in and get the jab, considering the target for the over-70s was due to be completed next Monday. It just shows what a slick operation it is.”

Juliet Dubberley, Online Retail Manager at St Giles Hospice, packing a fragile item ready for safe delivery

St Giles Hospice call for eBay support

Online shoppers are being asked to support a local charity during the latest lockdown by visiting the St Giles Hospice eBay charity shop.

Although St Giles, which offers care at tis centres in Whittington and Sutton Coldfield and in patients’ own homes across the region, has had to temporarily close its high street shops in response to the Government’s latest Coronavirus safety measures, the hospice’s popular online eBay shop currently lists more than 550 items for sale.

St Giles Hospice Head of Retail Lynwen Truesdale said: “The money raised by St Giles Hospice shops plays a vital role in funding the services which we offer our patients. But as we have had to close our high street shops and cancel many fundraising events during the COVID-19 crisis our message to our online shoppers is that we’ve never needed you more than we do right now.”

Since its launch in February 2006, the St Giles eBay shop has raised more than £850,000 to support the hospice in its work caring for patients living with a terminal illness and their families, and it sells a range of books, magazines, toys and games, jewellery, shoes and clothing, collectibles and more.

Lynwen added, “We have a wide range of books, toys and games which are just the thing for keeping everyone engaged and entertained during lockdown. We also have make up, beauty and healthcare products and gift sets, perfect for Valentine’s Day gifts.

“Our high street shops may be closed at the moment but people can still support us by shopping online in our eBay online charity shop, which is still very much open for business.”

Lynwen added that the charity has ‘top-rated seller’ status on eBay, meaning that St Giles Hospice is one of eBay’s most reputable sellers, consistently delivering outstanding customer service with a five-star rating and positive feedback.

As well as more mainstream items, quirky and unique items go up for sale frequently on the online charity shop. Over the years these have included a 1608 leather-bound ‘Geneva Bible’ which sold for £850; a rare Royal Doulton Sir Francis Drake Toby Jug which sold for £483; and a Royal Doulton Ali Baba figurine, which sold for £1,500.

One donated item sold on the eBay online store raised an amazing £4,256 for St Giles Hospice – a pair of rare Zeiss WWII German U-Boat commander’s binoculars. 

“We can’t wait to re-open our high street shops, but until then, please continue to shop with us online,” said Lynwen. “We’d ask all of our supporters to spread the word to friends and family so that they can support us too. 

“Although our shops are currently closed, we need to raise £850,000 every single month just to keep our services going and our dedicated care teams are still out there working 24/7 in our hospices and out in our community.”

You can find out more and visit the St Giles Hospice eBay online charity shop at www.stgileshospice.com/ebay

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.

Covid-19 vaccinations in Sutton Coldfield are ramping up, with Ley Hill Surgery in Mere Green delivering the jabs alongside Falcon Medical Centre.

Around 7,000 vaccinations have now been performed, despite around 60 patients not turning up for their jab appointments, although the wintry conditions and deep snow could have been a factor.

Due to the way the vaccines are stored and transported, there is a limited time to administer them and plan the number of vaccinations based on who is attending. Non-attendance by patients may cause vaccines to be disposed of unnecessarily.

The news comes as NHS staff started delivering life-saving COVID jabs at a network of more than 1,400 vaccinations sites this week across England.

The Sutton Coldfield Group Practice, which includes Ley Hill Surgery, Four Oaks Medical Centre, Sutton Park Surgery, Vesey Practice, Tudor Practice and Falcon Medical Centre, is leading the vaccination in Sutton and confirmed it had now given more than 7,000 injections.

It delivered its biggest vaccination day so far last Saturday, January 23, with 1,650 receiving their jab. Of that total, 1,288 vaccinations were given that day in Ley Hill with 362 more at the Falcon Lodge site.

On Sunday, Falcon Medical Centre was operational and Pfizer jabs were given ‘without wastage despite the many people who could not attend due to the weather’.

A spokesperson for Sutton Coldfield Group Practice said: “We have now administered over 7,000 vaccinations in total with this week’s target being around 2,300 vaccinations. Unfortunately, 66 patients failed to attend their appointment last week. The practice is now working through those in their 70s with a target of immunising the top four groups by the middle of February.”

The practice said: “We have commenced vaccinating patients in the 79 to 70 age group. If you fall into this category, we will contact you very soon. We are rapidly working down the lists of these people so please bear with us!”

The practice added: “Please do not call us to arrange a vaccination. You will receive a call when the time comes for you to book in for the vaccination.”

As the rollout gathered pace countrywide, an Asda supermarket in West Bromwich, an Islamic education centre in Derby and Bolton Wanderers Football Club are among the new sites operating this week.

They are among 1,438 vaccinations sites ranging from GP and pharmacy-led services to hospitals and large-scale Vaccination Centres that are now operating across the country.

NHS staff are also visiting those who cannot go to their local service or travel to a Vaccination Centre.

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS in England, said: “The NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in health service history, has got off to a strong start.

“NHS staff have worked hard with businesses, community and faith groups to set up an extensive network of vaccination sites that offer a range of options for people in all areas to receive their injection.

“We want to protect as many people as swiftly as possible and this latest milestone, with more than 1,400 sites up and running, means that we can continue to expand delivery as more vaccine supplies come on stream.”

The vaccination programme began with just 50 hospitals hubs on December 8. There are now more than 250 hospitals delivering the jabs along with 1,000 GP-led services.

High Street pharmacies are now vaccinating at 117 sites and there are also 47 large-scale Vaccination Centres, capable of jabbing thousands of people each week.

Council reviews complaints procedure

Residents in Sutton Coldfield are being asked for their views about how their complaints are being handled by Birmingham City Council.

The council is in the process of revising their complaints process, however before we launch the new approach – we would like to hear your views.

It is keen to invite citizens who have previously complained to or have an interest in how the council handles complaints, to tell us what you think about the new process. 

The process review includes; knowing how to complain, when to complain, how to be kept informed and how the Council can learn from complaints.

The council says: “We want all citizens to be able to say: ‘I felt confident to speak up and making my complaint was simple. I felt listened to and understood. I feel that my complaint was dealt with efficiently’.”

In addition it would like residents to tell it their experiences of complaining to the city council or to hear from citizens about what a good complaints process would look like for you. 

If you would like to be part of the panel influencing this change, please email getinvolved@birmingham.gov.uk with a brief description on how you think you can help with revising the complaints process in addition to letting us know if you are from a minority ethnic group and if you class yourself as a disabled person.  The deadline for your expression of interest is 5^th February 2021.

The council is hoping to include as many people as possible in the meeting which will be held using Microsoft teams, a web based application.  The meeting is scheduled to take place on 11^th February 2021 from 2pm – 3pm.

Everyone who shows an interest is forwarded a meeting invitation.

If you have any further questions, please email us at getinvolved@birmingham.gov.uk or call us on 0121 464 4133.