Vaccinations Begin Today In Eastbourne's Devonshire Quarter

The new 'Welcome Building' in Eastbourne's Devonshire Quarter, is due to open today, February 1, as Sussex's newest anti-coronavirus vaccination centre.

According to the borough council, it has the capability to vaccinate up to 1,000 people per day.

The large exhibition hall in the newly built conference centre will operate on an appointment only basis, seven days a week from 8am to 8pm each day.

Inoculations will be carried out in the large Mallory Hall on the ground floor of the Welcome Building on Compton Street, with access at the front of the Congress Theatre. 

The medics behind the programme in Eastbourne, like many others in the county, are from the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.

Eastbourne Borough Council Lead Cabinet Member for Tourism and Enterprise, Cllr Margaret Bannister said:

"We are pleased that our spacious and accessible facilities at the Devonshire Quarter can be used to help the NHS in this critical phase of the vaccination delivery programme.

"The Devonshire Quarter team have been working hard with our NHS colleagues to provide a safe and secure visit for all of those invited to attend the vaccination centre."

"The vaccinations are being provided strictly on an appointment only basis.

"Please remember, do not attend without an invitation as it will not be possible to vaccinate you without a valid appointment.

"We also ask that you attend no more than five minutes before your appointment time, as staff will not be able to see you any earlier and you will be asked to wait outside until your appointment time."
 
Siobhan Melia, Chief Executive of Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, said: 

"The opening of the Welcome Building follows the successful launch of the vaccination centre at the Brighton Centre last week, and is all part of making the COVID-19 vaccination as accessible as possible to the communities we serve."

The NHS will be writing to all those patients eligible for vaccinations at this time.  

In the meantime members of the public are being asked not to contact the NHS or Eastbourne Borough Council about vaccinations.  

The addition of the Welcome Building to the programme follows the successful opening of the Sovereign Centre on 24 January for vaccinations for patients of key GP surgeries in the Eastbourne and Seaford area.

For those requiring transport assistance to get to their appointment at their vaccination centre, CTLA are providing a Non-Emergency Transport Service from Monday to Friday from 8.30pm to 4pm.

Their telephone number is 01273 517332.

The trust said all patients invited to attend the vaccination centres must wear a face covering during their visit, unless medically exempt, and must socially distance at all times while waiting.

There is more information on the local vaccination programme on the Sussex Health & Care Partnership website:

https://www.sussexhealthandcare.uk