Questions raised over lack of major Covid-19 vaccine hub in Chichester
Several venues have already ruled themselves out
The lack of a major vaccination centre in Chichester has prompted questions from district and county councillors.
Since January 4, thousands of vaccinations have been administered by St Richard’s Hospital, and GP-led services are running in Tangmere, Selsey, and Pulborough, with Midhurst due to come online soon.
But, in a district with more than 120,000 people, the call for a larger centre has become louder over the past few weeks.
Jamie Fitzjohn, county councillor for Chichester South, has asked the NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) why County Hall cannot be used.
In a letter to CEO Adam Doyle, he said:
“Our residents are scared as they have been told for nearly a year now to shield and stay safe.
“They have been instructed not to use, if possible, public transport, taxis or share cars – as they are confined spaces – by the NHS and Public Health England but now are expected to ignore this advice and travel to Selsey and Tangmere?”
Mr Fitzjohn provided a long list of reasons why County Hall would be an ideal vaccination site.
This included the fact it has five entrances via the front, east and west doors and through two committee rooms; it has parking spaces on site, lavatories, a secure WiFi network and plenty of rooms for the various needs of the medical team.
On top of this, the staff areas cannot be reached by the public and it’s not far from St Richard’s Hospital, should there be an emergency.
Mr Fitzjohn also suggested the cathedral as another option – something which has already been done in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
The cathedral, though, has explained that this could not happen in Chichester.
In a social media post, it was pointed out that the vaccine programme is likely to take months and, as it would have to completely take over the building, no other activities could be held there.
A spokesman said:
“Whilst the cathedral can sadly not be a vaccination hub for these reasons, it brings us great joy to see other cathedrals offering their buildings for this effort.”
The need to be able to store not only the vaccines but also the other equipment needed to roll out the vaccination programme, was one of several reasons why places such as the Festival Theatre could also not be used.
The subject was raised at a meeting of the district council on Tuesday (January 19th).
Thanking everyone who has been following social distancing and isolation rules, chairman of the council, Elizabeth Hamilton, said the council recognised the concerns that there was no major vaccination site within the city.
She added:
“While we don’t have responsibility for the programme, we’ve been lobbying the Clinical Commissioning Group, the NHS and the MP to rectify this issue for us.”
A spokesperson for the Sussex COVID-19 Vaccination Programme said:
“We are aware of the feedback and strength of feeling about the location of vaccine services in Chichester.
“The way in which GP vaccination services are delivered has been agreed at a national level and each area is typically allocated one GP-led vaccination site.
“Working with local GPs, we explored where we could best offer the vaccine to people in the Chichester district.
“Many sites in the city centre were considered, such as council buildings and the cathedral.
“However, vaccination sites need to meet a strict set of national criteria that include adequate parking, infection control standards, IT requirements and can commit to accommodating large numbers of people (300+) every day of the week with sole use as a vaccination centre until the autumn.
“As a result, many sites, some of which were more centrally located, were not suitable.
“However, as the vaccination programme continues to evolve – with new vaccines becoming available and new vaccination centres and pharmacy-led sites ready to go live in Sussex in the coming weeks – we are continuing to consider what other options may be available in Chichester district.
“If there are other opportunities we will share these as soon as possible.”