TWO landmark venues in Devon are opening as NHS Vaccination Centres today (Tuesday), ready to vaccinate tens of thousands of local people in coming weeks.

The Mayflower Grandstand at Plymouth Argyle Football Club’s Home Park Stadium, and exhibition and event venue Westpoint Exeter will be offering their first booked appointments to people in priority groups from Tuesday.

The two sites in Devon are among six launching across the South West today, bringing the national total to 50.

The Home Park and Westpoint Exeter sites mean thousands more vaccinations will be given every week in Devon and provide local people have a wider choice of options when they receive their invitation for an appointment.

Anyone who cannot or does not want to travel to one of the sites can be vaccinated by their local GP service. Nobody needs to contact the NHS, as people will be invited when it is their turn and people cannot get vaccinated by just turning up.

Darryn Allcorn, Lead Chief Nurse for Devon and Chief Nurse at Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: ‘Every time someone in Devon is vaccinated, it brings us a small step closer to the end of the pandemic.

‘These two new sites will deliver thousands of vaccinations each week, initially bringing reassurance, safety and peace of mind for those receiving the jab, and in time, when restrictions are lifted, the confidence and safety to get back to normal life.

‘Well done and thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make these sites happen in such a short space of time.”’

Centres will be staffed by specially trained vaccinators and support staff, with help from dozens of volunteers, with more being sought to help out in coming weeks.

The Home Park site will be managed by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, which runs the city’s Derriford Hospital.

Plymouth Argyle FC has been supporting the NHS since the beginning of the pandemic, with the Mayflower Grandstand temporarily hosting health services such as phlebotomy and antenatal services to relieve pressure on Derriford.

Argyle chief executive officer Andrew Parkinson said: ‘We are delighted to have once again been able to offer up Home Park to assist with the fight to end the coronavirus pandemic.’

Westpoint Exeter will be managed by the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E), which runs the city’s Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

Suzanne Tracey, chief executive of the RD&E and Northern Devon Healthcare Trust, said: ‘Hundreds of people from different sectors have worked tirelessly to bring this centre together at a remarkable speed, and I’d like to thank each and every one of them for helping us to protect our communities against COVID-19.

‘If you are invited to attend an appointment here, I can reassure you that measures are in place to keep everyone safe, and our brilliant staff and volunteers will look after you while you’re with us.

‘Although there is light at the end of the tunnel, cases of COVID-19 in the community remain high, and so it’s really important that we continue to observe the national lockdown, staying at home unless for work, exercise or essential activities.’

Richard Maunder, chief executive at Westpoint Exeter, said: ‘Westpoint, Exeter, with its easy access and parking, is perfectly located to be used as a mass vaccination centre. The Devon County Agricultural Association is delighted to be supporting the national effort whilst also helping our local community.’

The site was established by the NHS with support from a team of volunteers from Network Rail, whose volunteers also pitched in to help set up the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Exeter last year.

Aron Struminski, community development manager for the Exeter Chiefs, said: ‘As a club we know how much we rely on our local community for support. Now, when the community needs us to step up, we want to help give back a little ourselves and that is why we are delighted that a number of our staff at Sandy Park have stepped up to volunteer at the new Exeter vaccination centre.

‘These are incredibly tough times for all of us, but the roll out of the vaccination is a huge step in the right direction and we are determined to do our bit in helping combat this pandemic.’

Vaccination sites

If a patient receives a letter from a large-scale Vaccination Centre, it does not mean they have been taken off their GP list.

Patients do not need to let their GP practice know if they get vaccinated at a large-scale centre.

If patients are invited to two locations (for example large Vaccination Centre and their local practice’s facility) they should only attend one of them.