
Pier Health
COVID-19 vaccination programme
The NHS is vaccinating people in Weston-super-Mare, Worle and surrounding villages at Riverbank Medical Centre, Weston-super-Mare.
Here at Pier Health, we’ve transformed Riverbank Medical Centre into your local dedicated COVID-19 vaccination hub. You can download directions here.
Our booster campaign
The government has now given approval for an intensive booster campaign from 16/09/21. Here at Pier Health we have started offering booster vaccinations from 24/09/21.
Detailed below is all the information you need to know about how this part of the vaccination programme will work.
Who will get a Covid-19 booster vaccine?
Everyone over 50 or who has a health condition that puts them at higher risk from Covid-19 will be offered a booster.

When will I get a booster vaccine?
If you are eligible, you’ll be invited to get a booster vaccine when it is your turn and at least six months after your second dose. The booster programme started on September 16 and is likely to last at least throughout the autumn.
Boosters will be given in the same order of priority as for the initial vaccine, as follows:
- Care home residents and staff
- People aged 80 and over, and frontline health and social care workers
- People aged 75 and over
- People aged 70 and over, and adults who are clinically extremely vulnerable
- People aged 65 and over
- Adults who are at higher risk from Covid-19, including people with heart and circulatory conditions
- People aged 60 and over
- People aged 55 and over
- People aged 50 and over

More about our booster campaign
Why might I need a booster vaccine?
So a booster dose will help to ensure those at higher risk from coronavirus, who were prioritised at the start of the vaccine programme, have enough protection going into winter.
We know that as coronavirus spreads and mutates, it can start to resist vaccines. A booster programme could offer extra protection against variants that have resistance to existing vaccines.
Many coronavirus vaccine manufacturers are in the process of developing and testing new booster vaccines targeted at different coronavirus variants. For example, Moderna has developed a version of their coronavirus vaccine to target the Beta variant more specifically.
What about people who have a weakened immune response?
A third dose is being offered to up to 500,000 people in the UK whose immune systems do not work properly or who are taking immune suppressant medication – including people who have had a heart transplant or are on certain types of steroid medication. The NHS is contacting people who are eligible for a third dose of the vaccine to arrange an appointment as soon as possible, if they haven’t already had their third dose.
The JCVI have said that this recommendation is an update to the standard dosing schedule for people in this at-risk group, and that they will also be offered a booster vaccine, at a later date.
The recommendation follows early findings from research carried out by the University of Glasgow, showing that 40% of people who are immunosuppressed or immunocompromised do not have a strong enough immune response after two doses of the vaccine.
Read the official government advice for people who are eligible for a third dose
Which vaccine is being used for the boosters?
The Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines have all been approved for use as booster jabs by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has only been approved as a booster for use in people who had it as their first and second vaccine.
More research is currently under way to look at other options for use as Covid-19 booster vaccines.
Will I need to be monitored after my booster vaccine?
Will the booster vaccine be given at the same time as the flu jab?
This year it’s extra important to get your flu jab if you’re offered one. There are concerns that flu levels could be very high this winter. Thanks to social distancing and other measures taken to stop the spread of Covid-19, flu levels were extremely low last winter. As a result, it’s expected people will have a lower level of immunity against the flu this winter. Precautions such as washing your hands can limit the spread of many infectious diseases, including flu.
Will I get a Covid booster vaccine every year?
1. When it is your turn the surgery will contact you
2. We will then book your appointment
3. Your appointment will be at Riverbank Medical Centre

Great news: Riverbank Medical Centre is now included on the national bookings service
This means when you receive the national booking letter from the government to get your COVID-19 vaccination you can now choose Riverbank Medical Centre for your first or second vaccination.
We’re open from 08.30 to 19.30 on the days we have had the vaccine delivered
We have seven vaccinators working at the centre every time we’re open
We can deliver up to 1,000 vaccinations a day to those who need it
I’m pregnant – what should I do?
The COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to some pregnant women including health and social care workers and those with high risk medical conditions.
For more information, please read the following:
I have allergies – what should I do?
Please find information for patients with reported allergies here.
What will happen when your time comes to have the vaccine

Beforehand
1. When it is your turn the surgery will contact you
2. We will then book your appointment
3. Your appointment will be at Riverbank Medical Centre
Beware of scammers
The COVID-19 vaccination is free and you never should have to pay for it. We use texting as it contains a link for you to book into the appointment system at Riverbank Medical Centre. We will never ask for personal details or bank details.
On the day of your appointment
1. Please arrive no more than 10 minutes early
2. Our car park marshals will ensure traffic flows freely and that you’re there at the right time
3. You’ll be greeted at the door to the centre
4. You will be booked in
5. The reception team will let you know where to go
6. You’ll then be called in and asked some questions
7. Make sure you are dressed correctly
8. Once you have had the injection you will be given two things:
- A vaccination card specifying which vaccine you had and the batch number with the date.
- Detailed information about the vaccine plus more about the vaccination process in general.
9. You will wait 15 minutes If you are given the Pfizer vaccine
10. If you are given the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine you can leave immediately unless you have driven to the centre
11. Notify your GP if you are troubled by side-effects
Afterwards
Attend your second appointment
More information about your second vaccination can be found here.
Remember, the vaccine is only part of the solution
HANDS
FACE
SPACE
Will I be able to pass on the virus to others if I’ve been vaccinated?
We don’t know the answer to this quite yet. It could be possible for you to pass the virus on even if you have had the vaccine.
The vaccines work by causing your body to create a rapid immune response to the virus so it doesn’t make you unwell, but it may not stop you from passing the virus on to somebody else.
Even if you’ve been vaccinated it’s still important to follow the guidance in your local area to protect those around you.
To protect yourself and your family, friends and colleagues you still need to:
- Practice social distancing
- Wear a face mask
- Wash your hands carefully and frequently
- Follow the current guidance
We have given
vaccinations against Covid-19
Last Updated 22/08/22
Frequently asked questions
I’ve received a letter about booking my vaccination appointment - what should I do?
Why haven’t I had my vaccine when others the same age already have?
If I’ve already had COVID-19 do I still need to get vaccinated?
considered this issue and decided that getting vaccinated is just as important for those
who have already had COVID-19 as it is for those who haven’t.
When will the next cohorts (groups) be vaccinated?
When it is time to move onto the next cohort, we will be told by the government and they will arrange for us to get a vaccine delivery. Once this happens, we will contact you. The government ambition is to offer vaccines to everyone in the first five groups (13 million people) by the middle of February.
Which vaccine will I get?
Recommendations on which groups get the vaccine are made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunology – an independent group of scientists.
How quickly does the vaccine work?
The Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford vaccines both need to be given in two doses. In both cases, it is our intention to give you your second appointment in exactly 12 weeks from your first vaccination at both the same time and the same place as before. You will still have a good level of protection after the first dose, but the second dose is more important for longer-lasting protection. This means it’s really important to go back for your second dose when we book you in.
How long does the vaccine last?
Will I be able to pass on the virus to others if I’ve been vaccinated?
To protect yourself and your family, friends and colleagues you still need to:
- practice social distancing
- wear a face mask
- wash your hands carefully and frequently
- follow the current guidance
If you develop symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has, you will still need to self-isolate.
Do I still need to shield if I’ve had the vaccine?
I am a frontline health and social care worker. I haven’t been called yet, how do I know when and where I will get vaccinated?
As a result of the numbers involved, further prioritisation within this group had to be made to ensure a safe, effective and fair approach to staff vaccination as possible. The aim is that every member of this valued frontline workforce will be vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Initially, the first group invited to book their appointments will be:
- Frontline staff whose role involves either providing direct personal care, or having direct contact with people receiving care, AND:
- Who are in the high risk category in relation to COVID-19 due to their personal characteristics e.g. medical history, OR
- Who are providing care to people who are clinically extremely vulnerable or are in a high risk category for COVID-19
Once these staff have been vaccinated, vaccination appointments will be offered to any remaining frontline staff whose role involves either providing direct personal care or having direct contact with people receiving care.
There are various places that staff can be vaccinated, including the vaccination centre at Ashton Gate stadium in Bristol and several hospital sites across BNSSG.
Please wait to be contacted. We will let you know when it’s your turn to have the vaccine so you don’t need to contact us. Don’t worry, you won’t be forgotten.
You can find out more information about protection for healthcare workers here.
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Other vaccination centres
Our vaccination hub at Riverbank Medical Centre is your local choice to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Other vaccination centres near you are:
- Bristol Vaccination Centre
Ashton Gate Stadium
Ashton Rd
Ashton Gate
Bristol
- Local pharmacies will be offering the vaccine in due course