NHS Lothian to close mass vaccination centre this weekend

NHS Lothian is closing one of its mass vaccination centres.

The Edinburgh Park site will welcome its final patients on Sunday.

Since opening on March 1 within the Royal Bank of Scotland’s former building, health teams have administered 82,595 doses of a life-saving vaccine.

The decommissioning of the site will begin on Monday.

NHS Lothian said it is now in the process of moving to a “flexible delivery model” and will utilise more mobile and surge vaccination clinics.

The health board hopes the move will allow people who are still to receive their jab to access it more easily.

The Edinburgh Park site will still welcome both appointments and drop-ins until closure.

Those in west Edinburgh wishing to visit a drop-in clinic at a mass vaccination site can do so at the Royal Highland Centre.

Airport buses have been temporarily diverted to allow passengers to be dropped off directly outside Lowland Hall.

A mobile vaccination clinic will also be running at Fort Kinnaird shopping centre on Sunday.

Pat Wynne, nurse director of primary and community care at NHS Lothian, said: “The site at RBS has played a key role in the vaccination programme so far and we are really thankful to our team who made it work so well.

“I would also say thank you to Royal Bank of Scotland for cooperation throughout the site’s operation.

“Anyone wishing to be vaccinated from Monday can do so by visiting one of our four mass vaccination drop-in clinics across the region, which are continuing to operate.”