Staff at a newly-opened Covid vaccination centre have been told it will shut at the end of August.

Employees on the Lascelles Ward at Kelling Hospital, near Holt, were told on Friday (August 12) the site would be closing.

It had only opened on August 5 as a replacement for the service at Dereham Hospital.

Several workers moved to the Kelling centre - run by Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS) NHS Trust - after administering thousands of injections from Dereham.

But soon, vaccines in north Norfolk will be given out solely at GP surgeries, with Aylsham Pharmacy to be added in the coming weeks.

They will deliver the autumn booster programme to eligible, registered patients.

Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS), the organisation in charge of the rollout, said there was "more than sufficient capacity" to vaccinate people in north Norfolk without a larger site.

But one staff member, who moved from Dereham to Kelling Hospital, criticised the sudden nature of the changes.

The mid-Norfolk woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "We started getting set up on August 2 and, three days later, we opened.

"It wasn't until senior management walked in on Friday (August 12) that we knew anything about the closure.

"Those of us who weren't in on Friday had to read the news via email."

She also questioned how sensible the decision was ahead of the booster programme.

"Until last week, we thought we would be doing the autumn boosters," she added.

"All we heard last year was that GPs couldn't cope. They are going to be so busy come September.

"The other problem is that a lot of people are not registered with a GP."

Explaining the change, a spokesman for Norfolk and Waveney ICS said: "We have worked hard to provide a service which is equitable and easy for local people to access.

"However, following a review of provision in north Norfolk, we have made the difficult decision to close the Kelling centre.

"Our latest modelling confirms there is more than sufficient capacity to deliver vaccinations effectively in this area without a large-scale site.

"We would like to thank the staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to protect local communities."

The spokesman confirmed staff would receive support in seeking alternative employment.