Biddulph's Covid vaccination centre will be put into "hibernation" from next month, the local Primary Care Network (PCN) has said.

It means that none of the new Spring booster vaccines will be delivered at the centre, after the PCN took the decision to stand down from the rollout of the latest vaccine.

It comes following the recent news that people aged over 75, residents in care homes and those with weakened immune systems who received their first booster vaccine around six months ago are now able to receive an extra booster in England.

The centre is now due to close in April, but the PCN says it will reopen if another booster campaign is launched in Autumn or Winter.

Residents have instead been asked to find a vaccine centre via the national NHS booking service.

The full update from Leek & Biddulph PCN Clinical Director, Dr Neil Briscoe, can be read below:

"Next week marks the start of the Spring Booster Covid Vaccination Campaign nationally (essentially phase 4). This will be targeting the over 75 year olds and children aged over 12 years who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

"LVS (Local Vaccination Service / GP run Vaccination Centres) have predominantly been asked to stand down from this phase of vaccine delivery, so that we can focus on providing core General Practice services. Leek and Biddulph PCN have decided to adhere to this guidance.

"We have not taken this decision lightly as we have prided ourselves on being able to deliver phase 1, 2, and 3 to our patients in their locality. However, running the vaccine clinics, as well as simultaneously performing all the routine everyday core work has taken a huge toll on General Practice staff, thus to provide a sustainable service going forward we have stepped down from spring boosters.

"As of April, we are officially putting our two vaccination centres in Leek and Biddulph into 'hibernation' and currently fully intend to reopen them if an Autumn/Winter 2022 booster campaign is needed. We appreciate this will potentially inconvenience some of our patients but there are now a number of excellent local vaccine clinics that can be found on the NBS (National Booking Service).

"Please be reassured that our patients residing in a care home, or who are registered as housebound, will still be catered for with a visiting service who can administer the vaccine in patient's homes. We are working closely with MPFT (Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust) who will be providing this service, we will advise those patients affected on the specifics of this process in due course.

"With over 50,000 vaccines now delivered by the PCN since we started in January 2021, I would like to again take this opportunity to thank all staff in the PCN, and all volunteers that have helped at both sites. Without your hard work and dedication, the success achieved in the vaccination campaigns in Leek and Biddulph would not have been possible."