THE roll out of the coronavirus vaccines has reached a "proud milestone" with the launch of jabs at Royal Bournemouth Hospital – with similar efforts to begin at Poole Hospital imminently.

The clinic at the hospital in Deansleigh Road makes up part of the national Covid-19 vaccination programme.

This started with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and is likely to be bolstered by the recently approved Oxford-AstraZeneca.

A spokeswoman for University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) confirmed the vaccinations had started at RBH in the final week of 2020 and they would also be commencing at Poole Hospital in Longfleet Road "soon".

The hospitals are targeting the same groups as other NHS organisations, with the main focus for the clinics being on BCP care home staff who are looking after people in the most vulnerable group.

The roll out also saw some of the hospital's own higher risk staff receive a jab.

Doctor Matt Thomas, deputy chief medical officer for UHD, said: “This is a really proud milestone moment for us all in what has been an incredibly challenging year for the NHS and the communities we serve. So many of our dedicated staff are involved in this vaccination programme and I’d like to thank them all for their commitment and hard work.

“While this is a really positive step forward, our hospitals are still very busy and it is really important that we continue to follow all of the public health measures appropriate to our tier to protect our loved ones and our wider community.”

The UHD spokesperson said people who have been identified nationally by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) as the highest priority will be invited in first for their jabs.

People are being reminded that the NHS will get in touch when it is their turn to be vaccinated.

Residents are asked not to contact their GP practice or hospital to ask about an appointment – the NHS will contact them when it’s their turn.