There may have been some confusion over the delivery of the Covid-19 Vaccine in Marlow, with posts on social media from differing parties asking for volunteers, advising differing locations of the vaccination centre and so on. However, this is explained by knowing that Marlow has two COVID-19 Vaccine providers, both fully NHS accredited.
- Marlow Medical Group (ie the main Doctors Surgery), with vaccinations at Adams Park football stadium in High Wycombe.
- Lane End Pharmacy, the head of which Olivier Picard, may be familiar from his Facebook posts. Their vaccination centre is on Globe Park, Marlow.
The key point- is there is a national priority group order, and residents will be contacted in that order, and a vaccination offered at one of the sites. If registered with the Marlow Medical Group, you could get a call from them – or you might get a call from the National NHS Booking service. They will be working from the same database. As noted in one of the statements below, both local providers are businesses, paid per jab delivered.
The gist really is – if you get offered a vaccine, take it! We expect more info soon regarding help for anyone who would have difficulty getting to a vaccine centre.
Statements from both parties, collated and passed to us by Marlow Town Council are below.
COVID-19 Vaccination update from the Marlow Medical Group
In common with annual flu vaccinations the COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered by a number of different provider businesses with NHS contracts across the UK who will all be paid a fee on the basis of each vaccine jab that they administer to residents.
In time these vaccine sites may include your local GP practice, pharmacy or groups of pharmacies at a single site targeting patients over wide geographical areas as well as mass vaccination sites and hospitals etc. All services will be asked to work in national priority group order. In the Marlow area our registered patient group will be invited to get their COVID-19 vaccine by your GP practice (Marlow Medical Group) but you may also be invited by other contracted providers.
It does not matter at all where you get your COVID19 vaccine!
The important thing is that once you are invited by a COVID-19 vaccine service (GP, Pharmacist or mass site) please respond and attend if you are in agreement to be vaccinated and have your vaccine without delay. Don’t wait for one provider or another. We will all receive and use appropriate available vaccines and we all want you to be vaccinated as soon as possible. We will do our best to make this happen as quickly as possible for our residents.
We know there has been some confusion in Marlow, this is inevitable with more than one contract and more than one provider but it doesn’t have to be a problem at all. Please accept any legitimate invitation to attend for vaccination with an NHS contracted provider – GP, Pharmacist or mass vaccination site.
Sarah Deeks
Practice Manager, Marlow Medical Group
Statement from Lane End Pharmacy
Marlow COVID vaccination centre – Globe Park
We are delighted to announce that a COVID vaccination centre will start administering vaccines in Marlow Globe Park week commencing 11th January.
We would like to thank Softcat management for agreeing to host the site in a dedicated wing of their ground floor offices, and for their availability during the Christmas period to make this happen at such short notice.
The exact address is Lunar house, Fieldhouse lane, Globe Business Park, Marlow SL7 1LW. We expect NHS England to make the site available for appointments from this Friday 8th January.
This is one of many NHS vaccination sites that are opening in the area, starting with priority groups as defined by Public Health England. Vaccination appointments are managed nationally by the NHS using the National Booking System. Patients in priority groups will be contacted to set-up those appointments.
When contacted, patients can choose which site to attend, based on proximity, convenience, availability and so on, the overarching goal being to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible.
As a reminder, COVID vaccination is free of charge.
Please do not contact the vaccination centre to set-up an appointment as we do not have the capability to set-up appointments locally.
We will only have visibility on patient information after you have arranged an appointment via the NHS National Booking System.
Vaccine delivery to local sites is also managed centrally by NHS England according to available stock, volume of patient bookings and vaccination capacity per site.
The vaccine will be administered by trained Healthcare professionals (Doctors, pharmacists, nurses or other healthcare professionals) and vaccinators have to follow strict protocols and vaccine specific training to be in a position to deliver it safely. All COVID vaccination centres, including hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies, use the same system to record vaccinations in order to facilitate real time reporting of country-wide progress to the NHS and her Majesty’s Government.
Once the vaccine has been administered, the patient records will be updated and the relevant GP surgeries notified automatically.