A new COVID Romford Vaccination Centre is to open in Liberty Shopping Centre in a retail unit today (Monday 1 March 2021). The centre is the latest to open in north east London and joins the hundreds of nationwide centres set up to deliver the COVID vaccination programme. 

The vaccination centre has been set up by North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT).

Jacqui Van Rossum, NELFT's Executive Director for Integrated Care (London), said: “Getting the Romford vaccination centre up and running in a matter of weeks is true testament and reflection of how dedicated and passionate staff at NELFT truly are. Everyone has gone above and beyond in playing their part, and we are incredibly proud to be doing our bit to protect people from the virus within the communities we serve.”

Attendance will be by appointment only and the centre will be open from 8.00am - 8.00pm seven days a week. 

People will be contacted to attend according to the Government's priority list. You can check here to see if you are in one of the priority groups and, if you are eligible and are yet to be contacted, you can book your vaccination through the National Booking Service on the the NHS website (www.nhs.uk) – or by dialling 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm seven days a week.

Caroline O’Donnell, NELFT’s Recovery Director, has led from the front in getting the centre up and running. She said: "It has been a privilege to be involved in leading NELFT’s vaccination programme and I would like to thank the whole team involved in the preparation including all those who have volunteered to support the programme and our partners in our communities. We look forward to supporting the vaccination programme alongside our local GPs and community pharmacies to make vaccinations as accessible to our communities as possible”.

When fully operational, the vaccination centre will be able to provide thousands of vaccinations a week. Each visit will take approximately 20 minutes per person.

The vaccination centre has been fitted out with vaccination pods and all the required facilities. Designed to keep people safe, through social distancing and a one-way system to ensure a safe environment is maintained for patients, staff and volunteers.

The vaccination centre will be staffed by registered health professionals including our on-site pharmacists, vaccinators, support staff and volunteers to support with helping people navigate their way through the centre, the project has involved a range of NELFT staff including the Trust’s estates team, pharmacy team, transformation and QI team, workforce and training, informatics team, security and health and safety, procurement, nurse trainers, administrators, communication team and many others.

Check here to see if you are in one of the priority groups and, if you are eligible and are yet to be contacted, you can book your vaccination through the National Booking Service on the the NHS website (www.nhs.uk) – or by dialling 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm seven days a week.