Guidance for staff yet to receive their first Covid-19 vaccination

First dose Covid-19 vaccinations – updated process

Staff who have not yet had the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination are now able to book this via the national booking IT system.

First doses for UHD staff are now offered only from the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), in Bournemouth, operated by Dorset HealthCare. Oxford/AstraZeneca is being provided at this site.

You must book your first and second dose at the same site, therefore please book both as you go through the below booking process.

To book your Covid-19 vaccination at the large vaccination site located at Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) visit this online booking form.

If known, please include the following:

• your NHS number (this should be on any letter or document you have received from the NHS, including prescriptions, test results, and hospital referral/appointment letters of via the NHS app. If you cannot find your NHS Number at home, you can ask your GP practice to help you)

Before booking your appointment please review the pre-assessment questions to confirm your suitability of the vaccine. Please read these carefully. They won't stop you booking but it may mean you are not able to have the vaccine at this time. If you answer yes to any of these questions and are concerned about the compatibility of any medications or health concerns with your ability to have the Covid-19 vaccine, you should discuss these with your GP in the first instance as they will have your complete medical history.

Please note that if you have tested positive for Covid-19, your vaccination should be deferred until clinical recovery and at least four weeks after onset of symptoms or four weeks from the positive PCR test in those who are asymptomatic.

Second dose booking

Please book your second dose at the same time as your first vaccination. This should be booked up to 12 weeks after your initial vaccination.

Once the booking process has been completed an email confirmation will be sent to you with further details for your appointment.

Your appointment

Make sure you have your email booking confirmation with you. This will speed up check-in when you arrive.

You must bring your NHS number and ID badge with you to your appointment slots. It is highly likely that without these you will be refused a vaccine.

As with the current process, health and social care workers can access their vaccination appointment with a NHS or Local Authority-issued Notice of Eligibility. They can now also use a recent letter from their employer, along with photo identification which confirms their place of work. For those who do not have a work photo ID, as a minimum, a letter from their employer with another form of photo ID will be needed. Frontline health and social care workers should also be encouraged to inform their employers of their vaccination to enable this to be included in data returns to help us target support where needed.

Do not turn up early for your appointment. And please wear a mask or face covering (unless you are exempt) and adhere to social distancing.

You should not share cars with colleagues to travel to have your vaccination.

If you are displaying Covid-19 symptoms please do not attend your appointment. It will need to be cancelled and re-scheduled on the booking website.

After your vaccination

After receiving your Covid-19 vaccination, you may experience some side effects. These are common and don't last long.

Side effects may include:

• having a painful, heavy feeling and tenderness in the arm where you had your injection. This tends to be worst around one to two days after the vaccine
• feeling tired
• a headache
• general aches, or mild flu like symptoms
• although feeling feverish is not uncommon, a high temperature is unusual and may indicate you have Covid-19 or another infection.

These symptoms may last 24-48 hours.

You can take the normal dose of paracetamol (follow the advice in the packaging) and rest to help you feel better. Do not exceed the normal dose.

We would also ask that you report your side effects on the national Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow Card reporting website.

Thank you. We look forward to welcoming you at the centre.

If you have any queries or your teams are unable to access the booking, please either call the national booking service number on 119 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and for more information about the Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine, please visit the NHS website.