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All 16 GP Practices in Powys are joining the COVID-19 vaccination programme in January

Row of Covid vaccinations 

Last updated 16 January 2021

COVID-19 vaccination in Powys has got off to a positive start with three mass vaccination centres already in place, and letters due to be received by everyone aged 80 and over registered with a Powys GP by the end of next week (22 January).

Next week (w/b 18 January) will also see another major milestone, with all 16 GP practices across Powys beginning to call people aged 75-80 to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments at GP practices. Appointments in GP-led clinics will begin before the end of the month (w/b 25 January).

COVID-19 vaccination is already well under way in Powys through the county's three mass vaccination centres in Newtown, Builth Wells and Bronllys. By the end of next week every patient aged 80 or over will have received a letter from the health board with their appointment at a Mass Vaccination Centre, or inviting them to book one.

All 16 GP practices across the county will be taking part, bringing vaccination clinics to communities across Powys in addition to the three Mass Vaccination Centres already in place in Bronllys, Builth Wells and Newtown.

In order to make the process of vaccination as smooth as possible, we ask people NOT to call their GP about COVID vaccination at this time. GP staff will be phoning people to make these appointments as quickly as they are able. Please help them to do this by not calling unnecessarily.

By the end of January:

  • The health board will have invited almost 9,000 people in Powys aged 80 or over to have their vaccination at one of our Mass Vaccination Centres.
  • An additional 900+ people living in care homes in Powys will have received the COVID vaccination.
  • More than 5,000 health and social care staff will have received the COVID vaccination in Powys
  • Invitations will have begun to more than 7,500 people aged 75-80 for vaccination by their GP
  • We plan to give almost 8,000 COVID vaccinations per week in Powys 

In line with the UK-wide four nation approach, second doses of vaccination will be booked for 11 weeks after the first.

It is important to continue to follow the regulations on social distancing even after you have been vaccinated. The vaccine will reduce your chance of becoming seriously ill, but we do not know yet whether it will stop you from catching and passing on the virus. So it is vital that everyone contributes to follow the guidance on COVID-19 to protect themselves and others.

Please do not contact your GP, pharmacy, health board, hospital or local authority for an appointment unless you have been contacted to invite you to an appointment. Patients are being contacted in the priority order identified by the UK's independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

More information about the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Powys is available from our COVID-19 vaccination pages.

All 16 GP practices will be providing primary care-led vaccination in Powys:

  • Arwystli Medical Practice
  • Brecon Medical Group Practice
  • Builth Wells Medical Practice
  • Caerenion Medical Practice
  • Crickhowell Group Practice
  • Dyfi Valley Health
  • Haygarth Medical Group
  • Llandrindod Wells Medical Practice
  • Llanfyllin Group Practice
  • Montgomery Medical Practice 
  • Newtown Medical Practice
  • Presteigne Medical Centre
  • Rhayader Surgery
  • Welshpool Medical Practice 
  • Wylcwm Street Medical Practice
  • Ystradgynlais Group Practice

Presteigne Medical Practice has been able to begin vaccination ahead of other practices. This is because it is directly managed by the health board, and is therefore covered by the health board’s existing “wholesale licence” for the COVID-19 vaccination programme. All other practices in the county are independent practices so need their own licence. With these arrangements now in place, vaccination is set to start through all 16 practices in the county. 
Presteigne Medical Practice has used other health board premises - at Knighton Hospital - to help ensure that the vaccination programme is delivered in a way that maintains social distancing and keeps everyone safe.

With vaccination also beginning in GP practices it remains vital that as many people as possible continue to take up the invitation for vaccination at mass vaccination centres. This is because mass vaccination centres use the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and we have reliable supplies of this in good quantities. The more people who accept the invitation to a mass vaccination centre, the quicker we will be able to vaccinate everyone in Priority Groups 1 to 4 - and then moving into all nine priority groups.

GP-led clinics use AstraZeneca and the deliveries are not yet in such reliable quantities as PfizerBioNTech.

There is more information in our latest newsletter about why Mass Vaccination Centres are such an important part of our vaccination plan and why we have three in the county.

We do recognise that travel to a Mass Vaccination Centre may not be possible. If you CAN then please DO, but there is more information on our website if it is not an option for you.