Coronavirus vaccine delay in Chichester: Don’t leave our city at the back of the queue

The delay has been blamed on the struggle to find a suitable venue for the operation.

The Mayor of Chichester, Richard Plowman said residents are 'angry, disappointed and neglected' by the delay and feel they are being 'almost punished for faithfully following the rules'. Read more hereOn Tuesday, it was confirmed that vaccinations would begin next week at The Selsey Centre in Manor Road, Selsey, with appointments ‘most likely starting midweek’.

However, many readers have protested about the location and called for a more central site to be used. Reader Judith O’Sullivan said: “It’s ridiculous expecting over 80s and vulnerable people to make their way to Selsey. Why has Chichester been forgotten?”

The Chichester Alliance of Medical Practices (ChAMP), a group of eight practices which will be delivering the vaccinations, said in a statement: “We hope to provide vaccinations from a second, more central, site in the next few weeks.

“We realise that the Selsey location is not ideal for all patients but there were few options available that could accommodate the complex arrangements for the delivery of these vaccines; at least at this early stage, the ChAMP GP surgeries are not suitable.”

Svetlana Kelleher, whose 86-year-old husband John has dementia and is in a care home in Chichester, was among those concerned about the delay and a lack of information.

She said: “In other areas like Emsworth, they started before Christmas. There are other places where things have moved forward. It is a worry. We try to find out almost every day what is happening and we haven’t got an answer yet.

"I am not a priority but he is. People are very vulnerable in homes.

"Everybody is very worried as they are all old, very frail and ill. We would like to know when it's going to happen."

Mrs Kelleher, 69, who has one daughter, said she hopes to be able to see her second grandson, due to be born in April, after spending Christmas alone.

Another resident, a clinically-vulnerable 80-year-old patient who wished to remain anonymous, said they felt ‘let down and angry’ at those responsible.

“How is it now that vaccinations in Chichester are being delayed because a suitable hub has to be found?” they said. “Why wasn’t this thought about and organised earlier? It surely hasn’t come as a complete surprise that suitable venues need to be found for giving the vaccine.”

Mr Plowman said the city council had offered space in the council house to be used for vaccinations, but said this was turned down due to a lack of car parking space.

He said the delay would mean Chichester ‘has a lot of catching up to do’.

“I only hope that the Government live up to the promise of two million inoculations a week,” he said.

Patients from the eight practices belonging to ChAMP will be invited for their appointments by a central organisation and have been asked not to contact their GP surgery.

Initially priority 2 patients – all those 80 years of age and over, as well as frontline health and social care workers – will be invited for vaccinations. Separate arrangements have been made for care homes, residents and staff, a spokesman said.

Gillian Keegan MP said rolling out the vaccine was ‘a mammoth task, not least as both the approved vaccines must be used quickly and venues must be big enough to allow for social distancing’.

But she reassured residents that ‘the wait is almost over’, adding: “Our NHS teams are doing a fantastic job ensuring the roll-out across Sussex is done safely and as quickly as possible given the strict guidelines in place.”

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