County’s pandemic fight strengthened as second large COVID-19 vaccination centre opens at the Lincolnshire Showground

Lincolnshire’s second large vaccination centre will open on Tuesday (2/2/21) at the Lincolnshire Showground, helping local patients to get their COVID-19 vaccination more quickly in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement will bring additional convenience, capacity and flexibility for patients and means Lincolnshire will be one of a handful of areas with two large vaccination centres to deliver COVID-19 jabs.

The new centre joins the existing large COVID-19 vaccination site at the Princess Royal Sports Arena (PRSA) in Boston, which opened on Monday January 18 and is also run by Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust.

To date, 80% of over 80 year olds have been protected with their first dose COVID-19 vaccination across Lincolnshire - a fantastic achievement.

The Lincolnshire NHS has already been:

• amongst the first in the country to start vaccinating on 8 December through the first hospital hub at Lincoln County Hospital
• amongst the first to start vaccinating through the GP-led primary care network model, with thirteen centres now in operation
• amongst the first in the country to be offering the new AstraZeneca vaccination, from the hospital hub at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston.

Both large COVID-19 vaccination sites will continue to target vaccinating people in the key priority groups, specifically local residents aged over 70 who live within a 45-minute drive of the sites as well as:

• residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
• frontline health and social care workers
• and the clinically extremely vulnerable.

Patients will receive a letter at their home address inviting them to book their vaccination appointment using the NHS national online booking system. A telephone booking service will also be available and options for those with sensory impairments.

If they prefer, patients can choose to be jabbed at one of the thirteen local vaccination sites available across Lincolnshire run by local GP networks. Patients will be contacted by their local surgery to make an appointment.

Patients are reminded that they do not need to contact their local GP and should not turn up at one of the large centres uninvited – the NHS will contact people to offer appointments. Please attend your vaccination appointment to make sure people do not have to wait longer than is necessary to be protected.

Maz Fosh, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, the local NHS organisation responsible for the overall running of both large vaccination centres in the county said:

“The opening of the Lincolnshire Showground large vaccination site underlines the commitment of all local NHS organisations to deliver as many vaccinations as quickly as possible to those who need it most in our local community to help them get their lives back and see their loved ones.

"I’m incredibly proud of all our staff, volunteers and the help provided by local authorities through the Local Resilience Forum to make sure we were able to deliver this additional large vaccination site in such a short time frame.

"I have been touched by the stories shared by patients attending our Princess Royal site and the sense of relief that the vaccinations are now available, offering a path to freedom and their loved ones.

"I’d remind everyone who is vaccinated to continue to follow all the guidance to help the NHS, control the virus and save lives – that means staying at home as much as you can, and following the ‘hands, face, space’ guidance when you can’t.”

Lincolnshire has a number of COVID-19 vaccination sites already up and running across the county including:

Large vaccination centres

• Princess Royal Sports Arena, Boston

Hospital Hubs

• Lincoln County Hospital
• Pilgrim Hospital, Boston

Local vaccination centres run by networks of GP surgeries working together

• Louth Community Hospital
• Meres Leisure Centre, Grantham
• Waddington Branch Surgery, South Lincoln
• St Marys Medical Practice, Stamford
• Franklin Hall, Spilsby
• Sidings Medical Practice, Boston
• Rustons Sports and Social Club, Lincoln
• Portland Medical Practice, Lincoln
• The Storehouse, Skegness
• Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln
• Springfields, Spalding
• John Coupland Hospital, Gainsborough
• Marisco Medical Practice, Mablethorpe

Plans to introduce a new roving vaccination service to offer jabs to homeless and housebound members of the local community will be announced soon.