From today, people can walk in and get a COVID-19 vaccination at convenient sites, without needing to book an appointment in advance.
Sites offering walk in vaccinations can be found easily via the new online Grab-a-Jab service.
You just need to enter your postcode to find the walk-in sites nearest you.
Second dose
People who attend a walk-in clinic for their first dose will have their vaccination record updated online and will then be able to book in their second dose appointment using the national booking system.
Second jabs are also available at the walk-ins, as long as it has been at least eight weeks since the first dose for people aged over 40, and 12 weeks for people aged under 40.
Getting the second dose is vital to getting longer lasting and maximum protection from the now-dominant Delta coronavirus variant first identified in India.
Mosques, museums & football stadiums
Everyone aged 18 and over can use the national booking service to make an appointment at one of the 1,600 vaccination sites across the county. Venuses include pharmacies and GPs as well as convenient locations such as mosques, museums and football stadiums.
People who cannot go online can call the service on 119 instead to book their jab.
In line with updated guidance, people aged 39 and under and all pregnant women will be offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
Sefton Council and its partners have submitted a £19.2 million bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund for a range of schemes to revitalise Crosby town centre after the COVID-19 pandemic,
Entitled ‘Reimagining Crosby’ the bid includes plans for a new, state-of-the-art library in the town centre along with community facilities, a new Health and Wellbeing Hub and 30 new apartment homes.
Located on the site of the current Green Car Park and combined with the library, the Health and Wellbeing Hub will be able to provide central GP services and other community health provision. Further details of the centre’s design are still to be finalised.
Alongside the library and Wellbeing Hub, the Levelling Up Fund bid also includes improved access to the town centre. The strong focus on making Crosby more pedestrian and cycle friendly is in line with the Council climate emergency declaration and commitment to active travel.
This will remove barriers, enhance the ease of movement and improve access to the public spaces in and around the Centre, making them more user friendly for all kinds of journeys. Improvement to town centre parking is included in the bid, with additional spaces provided, as well as electric vehicle charging points.
The Bid’s proposals will support the recovery of Crosby improving access to local services, diversifying what the town can offer and encouraging people to stay for longer.
Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council said:
“Our approach to the Levelling Up Fund has focused on bringing benefits to local people and developing opportunities for jobs, investment and recovery to parts of our Borough that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“Health, wellbeing and community are at the heart of our £19.2million ‘Reimagining Crosby’ bid, which has been designed to deliver a range of benefits to people in Crosby and across our Borough.”
Sefton Council is also submitting a £14.5 million bid designed to kick-start nearby Bootle’s economy.
Cllr Maher added:
“The projects being submitted as part of our bid for funding are varied, ambitious and will shine a light on what Crosby and Bootle have to offer, bringing much needed footfall and focus to our town centres.”
Bill Esterson MP for Sefton Central said:
“The vision of a new village centre would make Crosby a very attractive destination for many people living nearby and from further afield and would revitalise a centre that is in need of a significant investment.”
Dr Craig Gillespie, Clinical Director for Bootle, Crosby and Maghull Primary Care Network said: “The proposed Crosby town centre project is a great opportunity to knit modern health and social care services in to the heart of our community; it could allow a Primary Care Network hub to
develop and deliver services ‘closer to home’, thereby impacting on the wider determinants of health and reducing inequalities.”
Consultation will take place on the Library and Health and Wellbeing Hub proposals, alongside other works including highway changes and plans for the improvement of other public areas in the town centre as these schemes progress.
If the necessary Levelling Up Funding is approved the Library and Health and Wellbeing Hub could be opening its doors as early as the second half of 2023.
Sefton is eligible to submit up to three bids to the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which has been established to invest in projects focused on town centre and high street regeneration, local transport, cultural and heritage schemes.
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For a more detailed look at our plans, watch this clip
Sefton approves Child Poverty Strategy to combat impact of pandemic
As part of work to combat the effects of child poverty, which have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sefton Council’s Cabinet has approved the development of a Child Poverty Strategy.
Developing the Strategy, in partnership with The Welfare Reform and Anti-Poverty Partnership, will help redress the impact of poverty on young people in Sefton from the COVID pandemic and Government welfare reforms.
Among its aims will be work to prevent families falling into poverty, and support to help those already in difficulty.
Resilience
Increasing family income and improving opportunities for employment and building resilience in local communities against the causes of poverty are key aims of the Strategy. Improving mental wellbeing, addressing stigma and exclusion and improving digital inclusion are also among its objectives.
The Council will work across the statutory, community, voluntary and faith sectors to ensure services are put in place to support families.
Impact
Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “Poverty has the largest impact on infant mortality and during childhood, it is the first step to poor physical and mental health.
“More families in Sefton falling into the absolute or relative low-income category, eligibility for free school meals has risen during the pandemic and we have seen that the increase in Universal Credit has not been enough to bridge the gap for working families in poverty.
“Additionally, there is a high level of jobs in Sefton in the retail, healthcare, hospitality and leisure sectors which tend to be lower paid. These are also roles less likely to be possible to carried out from putting those people at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. And, research shows a low income makes people significantly more likely to experience mental health illness.
Saddened
Cllr Hardy continued: “Although I am saddened that in 2021, we are forced into the situation where we need to develop a Child Poverty Strategy, I am pleased that doing so will help the Council to focus on lobbying for change to protect the most vulnerable children and young people in the Borough.”
Sefton Council has submitted a £14.5 million bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund that will help kick-start Bootle’s economic recovery.
Proposals in the bid will transform the hard-hit town’s night-time economy and include plans for the North of England’s first ‘Flying Theatre’.
Bootle is one of the towns in the UK hit hardest by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the Council has submitted a bid based on a two-stage plan to establish the Bootle Canalside site as a destination for residents and visitors alike.
‘Bootle Canalside’
Stage One will see the completion of ‘Bootle Canalside’, a multi-functional events, entertainment, food and drink space. Bootle Canalside has been designed to kick-start new energy and optimism in Bootle, attract more visitors to the town, increase footfall on the High Street and create new jobs in the area.
Located on a once-derelict site alongside the Leeds-Liverpool canal, it will include an urban garden, food and drink offer, leisure uses and events space. It will be a vibrant recreation and leisure area that makes full use of its fantastic setting and brings a new element to Bootle’s local economy.
Stage Two will see the construction and launch of a new, hi-tech digital and Virtual Reality (VR) venue hosting a unique visitor attraction and providing places for technology enhanced ‘competitive socialising.’
Bootle’s “Flying Theatre” will use a robotic hydraulic platform to create the feeling of flight and will enable visitors to take an exhilarating airborne tour showcasing the geographic and cultural beauty and diversity of the British Isles.
Time-travel
A VR Time-Travel Tunnel will take visitors on a journey through the ‘History of Bootle and Liverpool’, including an experience of the Blitz with audio and visuals adding to this immersive and educational experience.
Additionally, the funding would be used to maximise the potential of Bootle’s proximity to Liverpool and the new Everton stadium development at Bramley Moore Dock, with Everton FC supportive of the Council’s bid. Working with the Canals and Rivers Trust, there are plans to improve the tow-paths and the navigability of the canal all the way down to by Bramley Moore Dock, enabling a ‘blue-green’ highway between the new facilities in Bootle and the new stadium. This will include improved walk-ways, cycle-ways and ‘canal-taxi’ services.
Sefton Council Leader, Cllr Ian Maher said: “Bootle is a proud, passionate and resilient place whose people have made many sacrifices during the pandemic on behalf of their communities, their families and friends and the Borough’s businesses.
“But as one of the country’s towns hardest hit by COVID Bootle and its people now need support from the Levelling Up Funding, and we look forward to starting a conversation with Government about investing in the town.”
Bootle MP Peter Dowd said: “I would like to commend the submission prepared for Bootle.
“This submission comes with support from a wide range of local stakeholders who passionately believe that this bid could potentially have a significant and transformational impact on the prospects for Bootle , its residents and local communities, and help drive the much needed change this area deserves to help bring it level with the rest of the UK and contribute positively to the regional economy.”
Steve Rotherham, Metro Mayor, Liverpool City Region said:
“I am excited by the opportunities arising from this project. Not only will it provide an immediate boost to the local economy through job creation, but it will act as a catalyst for wider investment.
“Bootle lies adjacent to key investment opportunities including Liverpool Waters and Bramley Moore Dock Everton Stadium, as well as being only 10 minutes by train from Liverpool City Centre. The town is undergoing economic change but has strong fundamentals to enable it to revitalise its offer and thus benefit its community.”
Sefton is eligible to submit up to three bids to the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which has been established to invest in projects focused on town centre and high street regeneration, local transport, cultural and heritage schemes. A second bid based on Crosby has also been submitted.
Cllr Maher added:
“Our Levelling Up Fund bid contains innovative opportunities to bring jobs, investment and recovery to parts of our Borough that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“Community remains at the heart of our plans for regeneration and we want to attract people to our town centres as well as improving them for the people who live there.
“The projects that will be submitted as part of our bid for funding are varied, ambitious and will shine a light on what Bootle and Crosby have to offer, bringing much needed footfall and focus to our town centres.”
COVID is still seven-day-a-week threat warns Health Chief
As the weekend approaches, Sefton Council is reminding people who live and work in the Borough, that unlike many of us COVID-19 doesn’t take Saturdays and Sundays off.
Additionally, people are being warned not to drop their guard even if they have been vaccinated. They could still pass on the virus even if they are fully vaccinated with both jabs.
Over the last few weeks there has been a significant rise in cases in Sefton as the more infectious Delta virus, first identified in India, takes hold across the country. Earlier this week, Peter Hampshire the clinical director for critical care and pain at Liverpool’s main University Hospital Trust warned that they were starting to see a fourth wave in the city.
Tempting
Margaret Jones, Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health said: “With longer, lighter, warmer days, more of us having had both vaccination jabs and the end of lockdown in sight albeit delayed, it’s tempting to start forgetting what we need to do to stop the spread.
“Recently, numbers of cases in the Borough have been doubling as quickly as every four or five days.
“It’s no good us getting tested, wearing masks and socially distancing in our workplaces and classrooms through the week and then forgetting it all at the weekend.
“Yes, it’s better if we gather outdoors but we should still be maintaining the two-metre rule and wearing face masks on public transport and in shops as well as when moving around in restaurants and pubs.
“And, we need to keep up the habit of washing our hands, frequently and thoroughly to prevent the spread of coronavirus and some other vomiting bugs which are going around at the moment.”
Vaccinations
COVID vaccinations are now available to everyone aged 18 or over. To book their jab, people should visit www.nhs.uk/covidvaccination.
When cases of the Delta variant were first identified in the Formby area but numbers of remained low, Margaret Jones attributed this to high local levels of vaccination.
She said: “The Delta variant is more transmissible than other COVID variants but the vaccinations available remain resistant to it so everybody over 18 should get both doses, which offer the highest level of protection.
“But we need to remember that even once we’ve had both doses, there is a slight chance we can still contract the virus and we can also still pass it on to other people around us for whom it could be serious.”
Rapid tests
Government recommendations say people should be taking rapid tests, which provide a result in around 30 minutes, twice a week even though they do not have symptoms. Anyone with the main coronavirus symptoms of a raised temperature, a new persistent cough or a loss of taste or smell should self-isolate straight away and book a PCR test by dialling 119 or visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.
They can also be collected between 2.30pm and 8pm, seven days a week, from walk-through Local Test Centres opposite Bootle Town Hall and at Crosby Library Car Park, Netherton Activity Centre and Southport Town Hall. No appointments are needed.
Rapid testing for people without symptoms is also available at Bootle Strand and Southport’s Splash World. The Splash World site is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week. The Bootle Strand site, the former H Samuel unit, is open 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
And, people can also choose to have assisted testing at the Bootle Strand or Splash World test sites.
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From today, people can walk in and get a COVID-19 vaccination at convenient sites, without needing to book an appointment in advance.
