THE former Laura Ashley store in Festival Place is set to be taken over by a vaccination centre and health clinic which will become a permanent feature in the shopping centre.

A vaccination centre has been running at Jameson House, in Chineham, since July last year but has now closed to make way for the relocation of Chineham Medical Practice.

Read more: Chineham Medical Practice will relocate to meeting growing patient list

The vaccine centre will now relocate to the shopping centre, taking over the unit previously occupied by fashion and home store Laura Ashley.

A clinic has already been running in Festival Place since January, but from Monday it will open seven days a week and relocate to the larger premises to expand its services for the community, with a broader ranger of healthcare services being rolled out.

The expansion is part of the NHS’s long-term plan to introduce more integrated care systems (ICS) which see the NHS partnering with local authorities and other providers to deliver better, more integrated care to patients and improving access to services.

From June 6, people will be able to book Covid vaccination appointments using the national booking system at the new Health Hub in Festival Place.

Dr Tim Cooper, Hampshire GP and clinical director at the Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “This is a great opportunity for us to get involved in the local community and make health services more convenient to the people living in Basingstoke.

“We really think that this ‘healthcare on the high street’ model could make it easier for more people [to] get the help they need and support patients to think differently about how they access healthcare.

“We’re keen to try it out and see if it can add to the current landscape of healthcare in Basingstoke.

“If we can make a success of this project, we aim to grow the number of services we run from the health hub in Festival Place, building it into a centre which gives the local community the help they need most at a place that’s convenient to them.”

Neil Churchill, Festival Place director, said: “Festival Place has always been at the heart of our community.

“Having an NHS Health Hub on site is another way in which we can help to make life easy for all our customers, giving them the opportunity to walk in for vaccinations and hopefully more services in the future at a time that is convenient to them.”

Dr Cooper thanked those who have helped run the vaccination centre at Jameson House, adding: “It would not have been possible without you.”

The Health Hub will be open in Festival Place seven days a week between 11am and 5pm.

Everyone over the age of five is now eligible to receive a Covid vaccination, while those aged 16 and over, and some children aged 12 to 15, can also get a booster dose.

Visit the booking website here. 

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