Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Vaccinations

We are currently vaccinating patients against coronavirus (COVID-19).

You will be contacted by the NHS directly when we are able to offer you a vaccination - please do not contact the hospital or your GP practice to ask when you can have it.

However, if you are aged 70 or over and not had your COVID-19 vaccine yet, please contact the NHS to arrange your appointment.

You can do this by booking an appointment online at the NHS website: Coronavirus vaccination (www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/) or by calling 119 if you can't use the internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) website: Latest Covid-19 updates in BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire (www.bswccg.nhs.uk/latest-covid-19-updates).

Roll out of the vaccine

Great Western Hospital is one of the 50 hubs in the first wave of the roll out of the vaccine and we are currently prioritising the following groups:

• people aged 65 and over
• people who are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)
• people who are at moderate risk from coronavirus (clinically vulnerable)
• people who live or work in care homes
• health and social care workers

All those vaccinated will need a booster dose and will be given an appointment for this. 

The life-saving vaccine is typically delivered by a simple injection in the shoulder but there is a complex and difficult logistical challenge to deliver from the manufacturers Pfizer to patients.

It needs to be stored at -70°C before being thawed out and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before being used. 

Whilst this vaccination programme is well underway, coronavirus remains real and we must all continue to play our part in following all local and national guidance to keep ourselves safe and stop the virus spreading.

Please remember to practice good hand hygiene, wear a face mask in public spaces and observe social distancing at all times.

Inpatient vaccinations

We are currently only administering the Pfizer vaccination, which needs to be stored at -70ºC and made up in a controlled clinic.

For many of our inpatients, it would not be appropriate to move them to this clinic to have the vaccine.

Everybody who receives the vaccine must have both doses of the same vaccine - if we give first doses to inpatients, they would need to travel back to the hospital to have their second dose, when it might be easier for them to get both vaccine doses in a community setting.

Our primary care teams are now vaccinating residents and staff in local care homes, and we are reviewing our plans to try and enable inpatient vaccinations as we understand how important it is.

We will update our patients and their families as and when we are able to do so.