BASINGSTOKE hopsital's vaccine hub will now be offering walk-in jabs after approximately a quarter of appointments have resulted in no-shows.

The booster hub was opened last week to aid the nation acceleration of the vaccine roll-out, allowing residents from Basingstoke and across the area to access an appointment for a third dose.

However, it has since been reported that thousands of appointments across Hampshire have not been attended, with health leaders urging people to cancel unwanted slots to allow them to be redistributed.

Now, a spokesperson for Hampshire Hospitals has told the Gazette that, effective immediately, the COVID booster hub at Basingstoke Hospital will be operating a walk in service.

This is set to run from from 10am to 4pm today (Wednesday, December 29), tomorrow (December 30)and Friday (December 31) this week.

The spokesperson said: "This is due to lower take up of appointments and a high (approx. 25% per day) ‘no show’ rate." They added: "[The walk-in service] is open to anyone who is eligible, in addition the hub can now offer jabs to anyone aged 12 or over."

The hub sees staff from Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (HHFT) vaccinating hundreds of people who walk through the door every day.

On Monday, December 20 the team delivered 746 boosters to the community.