Updated 08:48 06/04/2021

IMPORTANT UPDATE :YOUR LOCAL VACCINATION CENTRE IS MOVING TO TOTNES 

South Hams District Council office headquarters, Follaton House, will be used by the South Dartmoor and Totnes and South Hams Primary Care Networks as a COVID vaccination centre from Wednesday 7 April.

 The Council has supported the community throughout the COVID pandemic and with Follaton House being located on the outskirts of Totnes, with an easily accessible car park, they were happy to offer their offices as a community vaccine hub.  The new centre will welcome its first patients from Wednesday 7 April and is planned to operate over the summer period. Each day the new site is in operation double the vaccinations are expected to be carried out for local residents.

 A spokesperson for South Hams District Council, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be able to be offer our office space to our local team of GP surgeries so that more of our community are able to get their COVID vaccines as quickly as possible. One of our top priorities is the health and wellbeing of our residents, so for us it was an easy decision to make. 

“As a Council our staff have had the opportunity to work flexibly, from home or the office, as part of an agile working strategy for a number of years. As a result of the strategy, the majority of staff were able to carry out their normal work from home.   “When the pandemic arrived, we simply asked all our staff and Members to work from home, using video conferencing for communicating and Council meetings. This temporary unused office space is now being put to excellent use with the vaccination centre. “Being on the edge of Totnes, we’re well placed for quick access to other towns with easy, level parking. The building’s ground floor has separate rooms just off the reception, so the more frail or elderly can be treated quickly and easily. While the upstairs office space has plenty of room for the vaccination stations, before returning via a one-way system back to the car park, without having to meet another person. There’s plenty of room to move around safely, which is what makes Follaton House a perfect setting for a vaccination centre.”

Two Primary Care Networks have been involved in making the vaccination centre a reality. One being the South Dartmoor and Totnes Primary Care Network, which includes GP surgeries from, Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Catherine House, Leatside and South Brent. Along with the South Hams Primary Care Network which includes surgeries from Chillington, Dartmouth, Modbury, Norton Brook and Redfern.  Patients at these surgeries will be offered vaccinations at Follaton House that will allow the surgeries to double their current capacity.  Initially the site will be for patients who are due their second dose and patients at these surgeries will be contacted to inform them of the change in their location.

Martin Randall, Lead Manager, South Dartmoor & South Hams COVID Vaccination Service, said: “We are very excited about moving to Follaton House, which will enable us to double our capacity per day as we move to second phase of the programme. This will allow us to provide first doses for our younger population whilst administering second doses for our earlier cohorts. The site is located more centrally and will reduce travelling times for those who live in the south of the area.  “We are very appreciative of the support we have received from the Diocese of Plymouth and our incredible group of volunteers during the first phase of the campaign. We now look forward to our partnership with South Hams District Council as we move forward with this unprecedented vaccination programme.”  

The Local Vaccination Service will move from St Boniface, Buckfast, to Follaton House, Totnes, from Wednesday 7 April and patients will be contacted by their practice to confirm this when providing an appointment for their second appointment. 

You can now book your first COVID-19 vaccination without receiving an invitation

If you are aged 50 and over you can book your COVID vaccination at the mass vaccination centres. To book an appointment please call 119 or visit the online booking system where you will be able to pick a site, a date and a time.  www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/  New appointments are added to the system regularly , so please keep checking back with the site if you need to. 

We are dealing with a considerable number of calls from patients saying that they have not received an appointment.
Further discussion reveals that they have received a letter from NHS England inviting them to book into Westpoint in Exeter or Home Park in Plymouth.
This IS your invitation to make an appointment, please use it. 
We are also finding that patients have not advised us when contact details have changed.
We cannot invite you if we cannot contact you and we are unable to leave a message if your answerphone does not say who you are.

Patients can choose to be vaccinated by their local GP-led vaccination service but will need to wait to be invited by them. We are now contacting the 50+ age group and are delighted at the speed of the program as a whole.
If you choose not to travel to Exeter or Plymouth please do not call us for an appointment update. We are unable to give timescales, practices are allocated a varying number of appointments each week pro-rata and we will use them all. It may takes weeks to call all these patients so please travel further if you are able.

We understand that many of our patients are impatient to receive their vaccination but we will continue to adhere strictly to government cohort guidelines and this may mean that someone younger may have been vaccinated before you.

We are aware that some patients are unhappy about the COVID vaccination programme. Patients have expressed dissatisfaction at situations that are outside of our control, for example, that they cannot be vaccinated at the surgery or that their neighbour or friend has been vaccinated before them.
(If you have a complaint  - or just a query  - details of who to contact are at the bottom of this update. )
We are unable to discuss specific instances with you but please remember that not all underlying health conditions are visible and not not all health conditions prioritise you for a Covid-19 vaccination.  Patients have expressed their anger towards practice staff either face to face, in writing, on the phone or on social media.

We need to be able to deal with all our patients professionally and with empathy. This can be difficult when previous patients have been aggressive so think about how you speak with our team here, and indeed any NHS staff member, we are all working hard for you. We have been busier than ever over the last year, and have all worked extra hours and missed time with our families, to keep our patients and community safe. Please be kind; aggressive and abusive behaviour will not be tolerated.

If you are genuinely concerned that you may have been missed or if you have previously declined but now wish to be vaccinated then we are of course very happy to speak with you; to reassure you or to action any issues that might arise.

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine - patient information leaflet
AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine - patient information leaflet
Guidance for Older Adults
What to expect after your vaccination

1.    If you have a Covid vaccination query e.g. questions raised by news articles, medication or allergy queries etc you can contact the CCG via a Microsoft form (link), can be directed to d-ccg.devonvaccinationsupport@nhs.net or by calling 01752 398836 and leaving a voicemail – the telephone number is monitored 8.30am-4pm Monday to Friday.

2.    If you have a complaint about the Covid vaccination programme you can contact CCG complaints team vd-ccg.patientexperience@nhs.net but please remember to convey your issue with respect.