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Covid-19 vaccination
Covid-19 vaccination FAQs can be found on the NHS website.
For information specific to BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire and answers to questions from local residents, see below.
The NHS England website publishes the latest Government data regarding the number of people who have been vaccinated and Public Health England have a ‘What you need to know’ blog with similar FAQs.
Booster vaccines
Those aged 75 and over, as well as anyone with a weakened immune system, will be contacted during April 2023 and invited to book an appointment to get vaccinated.
Some will be able to arrange their booster directly with their GP practice when invited to do so, while others will be asked to book an appointment at a community pharmacy or nearby pop-up clinic.
People are asked to wait until they have been contacted, either by text, telephone call or letter, before attempting to book an appointment with their GP practice or through the National Booking Service website.
Vaccination centres
The large vaccination sites (e.g. Bath Racecourse, Salisbury City Hall and the Swindon STEAM Museum) are now closed. You can still book your first or second jab at your local GP practice or from a community pharmacy, using the National Booking Service or alternatively look for a walk in clinic in your area.
If you are a resident in Bath and North East Somerset and are having difficulties getting to a Covid-19 vaccination site, the Bath and North East Somerset Council ‘Grab a Cab’ initiative means you can now hire a free taxi to get your vaccination appointment.
To use the service, your Covid-19 vaccination must be pre-booked and you must show evidence of the appointment to the taxi driver. Evidence can include a screenshot on a mobile phone or tablet, or a printout.
To book your taxi, call V-Cars on 01225 46 46 46 and say you would like to book a taxi to a vaccination site on account quoting the following details:
Account number: BA-TTV 01
Account name: Grab a Cab
Password: Vaccination site
Once you have booked your taxi, the taxi driver will pick you up and take you to your appointment. Please be aware that your return journey must be within an hour of the appointment time.
'Grab a Cab' is a trial scheme which will run to the end of March 2023.
Yes. All of the vaccine sites across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are accessible to people in wheelchairs or with a mobility-limiting condition.
If you need additional assistance at the vaccine centre, please share this at the point of booking your appointment and speak to a member of staff upon arrival.
General questions
The infographic below shows the latest Covid-19 vaccination uptake.
If you are experiencing problems with the National Booking System website e.g. cancelled appointments; lack of booking reference number; error codes; not being recognised; please call 119 in all instances.
The ICB is not the responsible organisation for this service and cannot answer queries relating to it.
The Vaccine Data Resolution Service (VDRS) aims to resolve missing or incorrect vaccination records for people vaccinated in England who have a current NHS number and are registered with a GP practice in England.
If you believe there is missing or incorrect COVID-19 vaccination data on your record, please call 119 and ask the call agent to make a referral to the VDRS team on your behalf. The VDRS team will then contact you within 5 working days.
Please note: 119 and VDRS call agents will not provide clinical advice and cannot assist with queries related to vaccinations received overseas. If the query relates to personal information that is incorrect on your patient record (e.g. name, address), please contact your GP practice to update this
Information about the vaccine is available online on the NHS website and also the Gov website.
If you had your first dose vaccine in a country other than England (including other countries in the UK) and now need to book your second dose here, please contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) to arrange this directly as the National Booking System will not recognise that you have already received your first dose.
Our PALS team will be able to make a local booking arrangement with one of our vaccine centres for you.
Contact PALS by email at: scwcsu.palscomplaints@nhs.net or by phone on 0300 561 0250.
Yes, however each person who would like to receive a vaccine is encouraged to register with their nearest GP practice as a temporary resident, in order to access the wider health care services.
A temporary registration will last for approximately three months. After this time, a new temporary registration may be required
It’s not too late to book.
You can use the National Booking Service to find out where you can book your vaccine, or call 119.
Alternatively you can walk in at one of our centres offering this service. Check online on the national walk-in finder website.
Although every effort should be made to attend appointments, it is understood that there may be some occasions in which a cancellation is necessary.
If you need to cancel or change you appointment, you can do this via the National Booking System. Please note that you will have to first cancel an appointment before you can change it.
None of the ingredients for any of the vaccines contain components of animal origin.
The Vegan Society has stated:
‘The definition of veganism recognises that it is not always possible or practicable for vegans to avoid participating in animal use, which is particularly relevant to medical situations.
In the case of Covid-19, vaccination will play a fundamental role in tackling the pandemic and saving lives. As there is currently a legal requirement that all vaccines are tested on animals, at this point in time it is impossible to have a vaccine that has been created without animal use.
The Vegan Society encourages vegans to look after their health and that of others, to continue to be effective advocates for veganism and other animals.
We recommend having something small to eat before your appointment, and bring a water bottle if it’s a hot day. Fainting after vaccination is mostly due to anxiety or low blood sugar levels, so eating something small is a good precaution to take.
If you are not an NHS patient but require a further dose, you can attend a walk-in clinic with evidence of which vaccine has been given and discuss with a clinician on the day.
If you are an NHS patient with an NHS number, but do not want your Covid pass updated, and require a further dose, you can attend a walk-in clinic with evidence of which vaccine has been given and discuss with a clinician on the day.
If you are an NHS patient with an NHS number, and do want your Covid pass updated, and you require a further dose, contact 119 and request an appointment for an ‘overseas validation service’.
The only way to have vaccines administered abroad added to an NHS Covid pass is via this service – the GP practice cannot do this for you.
Students
The National Booking Service will offer appointments for a vaccine that is appropriate for your age. You cannot choose which vaccine you have.
Current guidance does not indicate that Covid-19 vaccination is compulsory, to be admitted to a university in England.
International students who are registered with a GP in the UK will be invited for a Covid-19 vaccination in the same way as everyone else.
This includes older international students or those with underlying medical conditions who fall into other priority categories.
Students not currently registered with a GP in the UK who would like to receive a vaccine here must register with their nearest GP practice as a temporary resident as soon as possible. A temporary registration will last for approximately three months. After this time, a new temporary registration may be required.
International students can book their vaccination appointments via the National Booking Service with their NHS number if they have previously received NHS treatment. You can also find an NHS number on the NHS website.
Press releases and stakeholder briefings about the Covid-19 vaccine
We have been issuing a steady stream of updates as the vaccination programme progresses, you can read everything in the news and events section on our website.