Increasing number of people now being vaccinated against Covid in Haywards Heath

GP Alliance for Better Care has been working with NHS Primary Care Networks across Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill to deliver the vaccines at the site in Perrymount Road.

More than 2,200 people have also been vaccinated over the past week at Meridian Hall in East Grinstead.

Alliance for Better Care chief executive Katherine Saunders said: “To date our team has administered around 20,000 vaccines across Crawley, East Surrey and

Mid-Sussex.

“This figure reflects the hard work and dedication of all our team as well as our partners and volunteers.

“We continue to work with all of our partners to offer local residents access to the vaccine as soon as possible.”

Both the Oxford-AstraZenica vaccine is now being used as well as the Pfizer vaccine and the NHS says that ‘a steady supply’ is being received.

The over 80s, care home residents and health and care staff are still being prioritised in line with Government guidelines.

Others will be contacted, says the NHS, ‘as more vaccine becomes available.’

Meanwhile, as well as the on-site vaccination programme, the GP Alliance for Better Care also has a team visiting local care homes.

By yesterday (Tuesday January 19) the team had vaccinated residents in 18 of the 21 care homes in Haywards Heath and surrounding villages.

In total more than 600 vaccinations have been administered including care home residents plus staff.

Among the first to be visited by the vaccination team was Westall House in Horsted Keynes.

Jemma Thompson, operations manager at the home, said: “We are all so relieved to start the process of vaccinating our residents, it has made me breathe a sigh of relief to know that they are that little bit safer, it has meant a lot to us all here at Westall House.

“The afternoon of vaccinating was coordinated very well and a great success. We are all very grateful to all the teams involved in getting the residents vaccinated and looking forward to a brighter future and getting back to some sort of normality.”

Westall House resident Tony Worthington, 84, added: “It is really comforting to know we have had our first Covid vaccine; the vaccination day was carried out so well. We are a step closer to seeing our families.”