Plans announced to speed up Covid vaccinations in Leicester

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups and Leicester City Council are pleased to announce details for how they will be increasing the pace of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Leicester over the next two weeks, to help stop the spread of coronavirus in the city and in particular the variant of concern B.1.617.2, a coronavirus variant first identified in India.

The plans include six new temporary drop-in vaccination services, additional GP-led drop-in clinics, extra slots at the Hospital Hubs and extra vaccination capacity to ensure people get their second dose of the vaccine eight weeks after the first dose. This all comes in response to an announcement last week by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP, that Leicester would be speeding up its vaccination process, following a rise in cases of the coronavirus.

Although cases of the variant are relatively low in Leicester compared to other areas, the plans have been put in place to help prevent the number of cases from rising.

New temporary drop-in vaccination services

Five new vaccination services are now open and will be vaccinating until Sunday 6th June 2021.

• Coleman Neighbourhood Centre, Balderstone Close, Leicester, LE5 4ES

• Eyres Monsell Community Centre, Hillsborough Rd, Glen Parva, LE2 9PQ

• Fosse Neighbourhood Centre, Mantle Road, Leicester, LE3 5HG

• Hamilton Library, 20 Maidenwell Avenue, Leicester, LE5 1BL

• De Montfort Hall (The Garden Room), University Rd, Leicester, LE1 7RU

A further service will open soon at Tudor Community Centre, Bewcastle Grove, Leicester, LE4 2JU.

These are drop-in clinics so you don’t need to book an appointment.

They will be open from 12pm to 9pm most days, except Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th May where they will be open from 10:30am to 9pm. Opening times may be subject to change. The clinic at Hamilton Library will be starting at 2pm on Tuesday 25th May.

Current opening hours will be published at each site and online at: https://www.leicestercityccg.nhs.uk/additional-covid-vaccination-clinics/ 

Vaccinations are being offered to people who are eligible for the vaccine in line with national guidelines. This includes people aged 32 or over; anyone who has a health condition that puts them at higher risk of Covid, and anyone who lives with them; adults who live with two or more adults, not from the same family; carers and health and care staff. We are only inviting people to come forward for these drop-in clinics who live in the areas of Leicester listed below, as these are where uptake of the vaccine is lower than in other areas:

• City centre North

• City centre South and Southfields

• West End

• Newfoundpool

• Spinney Hill

• Charnwood

• St Matthews and St Peters

• Northfields

• Crown Hills

• St Saviours

People who do not live in these areas and are not in an eligible group will be turned away. Vaccines are available for people who live elsewhere in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland via the National Booking Service, the Hospital Hubs and GP practices. Details can be found online at: www.leicestercityccg.nhs.uk/coronavirus-vaccine/

The sites will all be offering the Pfizer vaccine which means it is suitable for people of all eligible ages and pregnant women. T

he vaccination hubs at Leicester’s Hospitals will also be making additional vaccination slots available. Booking details will be provided to local residents in the prioritised areas, by community-based teams.

Additional GP-led drop-in services

Drop-in vaccination clinics have already been successful in increasing vaccination numbers locally. These tend to operate for one or two days at a time in an area. The next drop-in clinics will be operating at the following locations:

Prajapati Hall, 21 Ulverscroft Rd, Leicester, LE4 6BY. Sunday 30th May 2021, 10am to 6pm.

Merridale Medical Centre, 5 Fullhurst Avenue, Leicester, LE3 1BL. Wednesday 26th & Thursday 27th May. 8:30am to 6:30pm.

Caroline Trevithick, Executive Director of Nursing, Quality and Performance for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups said: “It is really important that anyone in an eligible group and living in the specific areas of Leicester we have identified comes forward in the next two weeks to be vaccinated. We are making it as convenient as possible for people to do that by making additional clinics available in the heart of local communities, including evenings and weekends.

“We are particularly keen to vaccinate anyone aged 50 and over or with a health condition who hasn’t yet come forward. They are more at risk from becoming seriously unwell if they catch the virus and we want to make sure they have the best possible protection if cases of the variant of concern do continue to rise.”

Leicester’s Director of Public Health Professor Ivan Browne said: “Stepping up the vaccination programme in Leicester provides us with a vital line of defence against the variant first identified in India. If you are eligible, please ensure you are vaccinated by visiting one of these drop-in clinics to get your jab.

“We are very happy to support the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups with this vaccination programme. Where necessary, we can also use our ground teams who have been knocking on doors in local neighbourhoods to offer tests and advice for many months”.

Second doses

The NHS is bringing forward when people in the highest priority groups, receive their second dose of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccination, if they haven’t already had it. This is so people that are at greater risk of getting seriously ill due to coronavirus, can get maximum protection earlier. Up to now, the NHS has been offering the second dose of vaccine up to 12 weeks after the first dose. With new variants of coronavirus circulating, it is important that we ensure people that are at greatest risk can get their second dose earlier -at around 8 weeks after their first. The local NHS is increasing its capacity to be able to do this as part of the local plans to minimise the risk associated with the variant of concern. You will be contacted about how to book your second dose by the part of the NHS who provided your first dose, for example your GP practice, a hospital (Swiftqueue) or the National Booking Service.

For further information contact: PressofficeLLRCCGs@leicestershire.nhs.uk