Bristol hotel to be used as extra care facility as region looks to hit vaccination target

A hotel in Bristol will be used as a temporary care facility providing a centre where patients can recuperate before returning home.

The new scheme will help meet the increasing demand for hospital beds as rising cases of covid continues to add pressure on the NHS.

The hope is that The Bristol Hotel will help to move people through their treatment quicker.

Dr Peter Brindle from the Bristol and South Gloucestershire CCG said that it was a good move for all sectors.

"It gives people more time to get better so if you have an operation or an illness you may be safe but you might not be strong enough to look after yourself," he said.

"You might just need that bit of extra support which this will give."

It comes as coronavirus cases in the country continue to rise amid Prime Minister Boris Johnson's target of getting every eligible individual their vaccine before the end of December.

• Watch Adam Grierson's report here.

The vaccination centre at Bath Racecourse has been breaking its own records every day but staff have said that there is still space for more people.

Rachael Whiteley, the Operations Director at the site, said: "We did over 2,300 vaccinations on Sunday, the ramp up is going well it was over 700 more than any other day.

"We have capacity for over 2,000 patients every day. We would encourage people to book for their jabs."

The centre said it would open up for some walk-ins over the coming days but urged people to watch social media and the NHS booking page for more updates.