Video: how the huge vaccination centre was set up at Westpoint

By Philippa Davies 23rd Jul 2021

This video, produced by the NHS, offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the mass Covid vaccination centre was set up at Westpoint, and introduces many of the people involved in creating and running it.

Volunteers from Network Rail were among those who helped prepare the buildings for the medical teams to move in.

The centre began giving jabs on Tuesday (January 26), along with another mass site at the Plymouth Argyll football ground in Plymouth. Between them, they will be vaccinating thousands of patients every day.

Some patients in the Dawlish area, registered with a local GP practice, may receive a letter from NHS England inviting them to have their jab at one of these large centres, if they prefer. The NHS is making it clear that this does not mean they've been removed from their local GP's vaccination list – it is simply a way of offering people more choice as to where they receive their vaccination, and if they don't want to travel to Exeter or Plymouth they can simply ignore the invitation letter.

People receiving these letters will also be given the option of booking an appointment at a pharmacy site offering the jab. One of these opened in Exmouth today, with more due to come on board elsewhere in the near future.

But people who are housebound and cannot travel to any of the sites need not worry – their GP practice will contact them and arrange a home visit.

Locally, the Covid vaccination programme is being run by Channel View Medical Practice, Teign Estuary Medical Group and the Dawlish Medical Group (known as Barton Surgery). People registered with those practices are being invited to receive their jabs at Dawlish Community Hospital.

With the local NHS reporting good progress in the Covid vaccination programme, it expects to start contacting people aged 75 to 79 in the coming weeks. Again, they will be able to choose whether to attend Westpoint or Plymouth, or a pharmacy, or wait for their own GP to contact them, and will be visited at home if they cannot travel.

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