The Coleridge Medical Centre in Ottery St Mary is among the GP practices leading the roll-out of the Covid vaccination programme in East Devon. Dr Simon Kerr from the practice has provided this update for Honiton Nub News.

So, we headed for the housebound.

This weekend, three cars headed out from the medical centre car park to vaccinate those confined to their homes. Over the next few days, the practice seeks to complete the vaccination of the Joint Committee of Vaccines and Immunisations (JCVIs) first four cohorts by visiting all those registered with the practice, yet unable to get into the practice for their vaccination for whatever reason.

We continue to play a large part in the vaccination programme being coordinated through the joint working of the Ottery, Sidmouth, and Honiton practices' primary care network, working alongside colleagues in Exmouth, and we are pleased to be among some of the leading practices in Devon in the vaccination programme targeting completing the vaccination of these four most vulnerable cohorts of patients by 14th February.

Last Sunday's practice teams vaccinated another 720 or so registered patients within the medical centre, including approximately 75 patients who needed to be visited by three family teams within their own homes. Opportunities were taken both to check up on the general welfare of some of our most frail patients, and to provide written information about how to access further support through the Ottery Help Scheme and about the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine, with which we were vaccinating. A further 75 or so folk unable to get into the surgery are planned to be visited later this week also.

A great team effort by everyone involved

We are grateful again for the increasing support from local volunteers, helping both to marshal patients through the practice but also for their assistance to our clinicians providing administrative support within the vaccination rooms and the cars visiting patients' homes.

We continue to seek further opportunities to vaccinate large numbers of patients in Ottery, trying to provide as local as possible a place of vaccination, and we do appreciate there are now a number of alternative options which may be concurrently offered. We are aware of the guidance asking for those over 70, who have not yet been contacted, to contact the NHS by dialling 119, and we shall try to work with the other options available to vaccinate as many of our registered patients within the NHS guidance as fast as we are able to.

A process is now almost in place to enable local approval and certification of those able and willing to train to be vaccinators and we hope that by securing a wider pool of both trained / approved vaccinators and our welcome volunteers, we shall be able to maintain the local services as long as this is valued.

We do hope our patients will understand that we still are receiving large quantities of both Pfizer and Oxford vaccines and we are sorry that we are not able to offer a choice of vaccine on particular days, at this stage. The Pfizer vaccine can still only be offered at Exmouth Tennis Centre owing to the need to keep this vaccine as stable in fridges as much as possible. We still anticipate being responsible for contacting all those we have vaccinated already to arrange for their second vaccine when, and if, this is due approximately twelve weeks after the initial vaccine.

Thank you to all for the encouraging support for our practice staff who are, of course, endeavouring to maintain the usual primary care service during the working week as well as delivering the unprecedented volumes of vaccination we have been able to achieve.