RJAH hospital hub transitions into vaccination centre

More people are set to be able to get their Covid-19 vaccine at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Oswestry as its hospital hub transitions into a vaccination centre.

From today appointments at the RJAH vaccination centre will be available for patients receiving a letter inviting them to book through the national booking system.

Local people are able to receive their vaccination when they are invited to do so, through their GPs, some local pharmacies and vaccination centres. RJAH will become the fourth vaccination centre in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, joining the Telford International Centre, Ludlow Racecourse, and the Shrewsbury Indoor Bowls Centre.

Angie Wallace, Covid-19 Vaccination Programme Director for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said:

“We are delighted that RJAH will become a vaccination centre. This will help us to more rapidly deliver vaccinations as we move into providing the vaccine to more priority groups.

“The team at RJAH have been doing a terrific job vaccinating people in the first four priority groups, which include NHS, social care and care home staff and some of the most vulnerable people. This means they will be able to keep providing a service for local people for the foreseeable future.

“With a new pharmacy site set to open in Oswestry, and a number of GPs operating across North Shropshire, we have the capacity we need in place to meet demand in the weeks ahead.”

Mark Brandreth, Chief Executive of RJAH, said:

“We are delighted to get approval for our hospital hub to transition to a vaccination centre.

“This is a technical change that won’t make any difference to our patients when attending their appointments. What it does do is simplify the booking process for patients and give reassurance that this service is here to stay in our local community.

“In our planning for the delivery of the vaccinations across the county we have spoken to the managers of several potential sites and local people may be aware that we were in discussions with a local company, Aico Ltd, with a view to using its site at Oswestry if required. The company has been incredibly helpful and committed to helping us deliver the vaccine since our first discussions. Due to the decision to transition RJAH to a vaccination centre, we will not now be progressing, but I would like to express our  thanks to Aico for its can-do attitude and enthusiasm.

“I’m delighted with the arrangements we do have in place for our whole county and thank all partners in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin for their ongoing support.”