On 7 July 2021, the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Vaccination Programme will open a new large scale Vaccination Centre at the Conference and Exhibition Centre on UWE Bristol’s Frenchay Campus. The ‘Vaccination Centre @ UWE Bristol’ will have a capacity of 1,000 vaccinations a day and makes use of the decommissioned NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol facilities.
The Vaccination Centre @ UWE Bristol and will sit alongside our existing GP, community pharmacy and Ashton Gate vaccination sites. It will increase vaccination capacity across BNSSG as we race to protect as many people as possible from the Delta variant of COVID-19 before the planned easing of Lockdown on 19 July. It will also allow us to bring forward more vital second dose vaccinations from 12 weeks to offer people in our region the best possible protection against hospitalisation from COVID-19.
The Centre has a large free car park and is easily accessible by car from much of BNSSG, while the UWE Bristol Campus is a 15 minute bus journey from central Bristol.
Dr Tim Whittlestone, Clinical Lead for BNSSG Vaccination Programme, said: “Although we are making good progress in BNSSG, we still have hundreds of thousands of first and second dose vaccinations to give. The Vaccination Centre @ UWE Bristol will increase our capacity as we head towards the deadline of offering all adults a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine before 19 June.
“If you have been putting off booking your appointment, please don’t delay. We have lots of first dose vaccination capacity at the moment on the National Booking System, in GP clinics and at walk-in centres. We’re working hard to make it as easy as possible for everyone in our region to take up the offer of a vaccination by offering as many options as possible. Please book your appointment, now.”
Steve West, Vice-Chancellor at UWE Bristol, said: “I’m pleased we are able to, once again, offer our facilities to help the NHS and support the local community and wider region at this exceptionally challenging time.
“These temporary arrangements on our Frenchay campus have the potential to save many lives and play a vitally important role in limiting the impact of coronavirus in the South West.
“As a University community we have already demonstrated how we can support the NHS and frontline services, and there is more we will be doing in future to contribute to the national effort.”