SENDING more people to mass vaccination hubs such as the BIC would help shorten waiting times for non-Covid treatments at GP clinic, an MP has insisted.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood’s comments came after he earlier voiced “frustration” that the vaccination centre at the BIC was closing early because of a lack of people turning up for jabs.

He has claimed GPs were encouraging patients to wait to have their vaccinations at the surgery because they are paid £20 per jab – a claim denied by the British Medical Association (BMA), which says they are paid £12.58.

Mr Ellwood, who has been working as a volunteer at the BIC, said everyone should work together to keep up the pace of vaccinations.

MP claims vaccination centre is closing early due to lack of people turning up for jabs

“You’ve got to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate – we all recognise that,” he told the Daily Echo.

“This requires hubs and GPs to support each other and recognise that some patients are best vaccinated by their GPs, who are familiar with their medical history, but the less burden on the GPs to continue vaccinating, the more time they have for non-Covid related matters.”

The MP had earlier told BBC Radio Solent: “It is really frustrating to see an asset that is able to vaccinate 1,500 people per day having to close early and not be able to meet its thresholds. There is a battle with the GPs who are saying do not go to the BIC. It is, of course, because the GPs get paid £20 per jab.”

The BIC is one of scores of special vaccination centres opened up across the country. It opened on January 18 following weeks of preparation by Dorset HealthCare and its partners.

So far it has concentrated on over-80s, followed by over-75s, over-70s and the clinically extremely vulnerable in accordance with government guidelines.

Staff at the centre are supported by local volunteers.

Dr Karen Kirkham, clinical lead for the Dorset Covid-19 vaccination programme, said: “There’s been a huge collective effort across health and care in Dorset to vaccinate the first four priority groups of local people who are most at risk. We are working together across health and care to roll out the life-saving Covid-19 vaccine to local people.

“We have made a really strong start in vaccinating priority groups 1 to 4 ahead of the February 14 deadline.We are delivering the biggest vaccination programme in history, with vaccination teams in Dorset delivering more than 154,000 doses as of January 31, enabling 92 per cent of people over 80 to receive at least one dose, and this figure continues to rise.”

Dr Kirkham said patients are able to choose where they have their vaccine, with the large centres dependent on patient activity through the national booking system.

She added: “Many patients across Dorset are choosing to access their vaccination through their local GP run services, which have been up and running since the middle of December, vaccinating almost every day and weekend to support the local population. Across Dorset, from vaccinators to volunteers, to those behind the scenes working tirelessly across our NHS, we are so proud of their hard work, dedication and commitment.

“This success is a testament to the monumental effort of NHS and partner staff across the county – a massive thank you goes to everyone involved.”

The BMA insisted GPs were only paid £12.58 per jab. They were paid £20 for first doses delivered in care homes in mid-January, but that was later reduced to £10.

A BMA GP committee spokesperson said: “All those involved in the vaccination process are working incredibly hard to oversee the delivery of vaccinations and should be commended for the remarkable progress made so far, which surpasses the achievement of every other nation in Europe.

“Mass vaccination centres have arrived later to the fray and are still finding their feet in terms of organising their service. It is therefore no fault of theirs that there may be days on which they have not booked sufficient patients for their capacity.”

The spokesperson said vaccination venues were “very much down to patient choice” and that the current cohort were generally elderly or vulnerable. “Mr Ellwood’s comments may highlight broader issues of co-ordination within the wider system that should be addressed. This is about a joint effort which should be focused on improving the uptake across the board to get as many people vaccinated as possible – not moving them from one service to another.”