Health chiefs have ruled out opening a dedicated mass coronavirus vaccination centre in the Medway towns.

The 280,000 residents will be covered by the large-scale centre in Gravesend which opened this week, GP surgeries, pharmacies and an expansion of the vaccine programme at Medway Maritime Hospital.

Paul Bentley, chief executive of the Kent Community Health NHS Trust, the branch of the health service organising and running the mass vaccination hubs, confirmed there were currently no plans for Medway's own site.

He told KentOnline: "People from Medway can access this centre and we're also working with colleagues at Medway Maritime Hospital to see if we can do more creative things there. We are doing those.

"It's important to add the programme of vaccination out of GP surgeries in Medway continues.

"That's a really important part of the offering.

"We'll keep it under review and continue to talk and listen to our colleagues in Medway.

"As things change we'll change with them."

Asked whether additional smaller centres would be set up in Medway to increase capacity, Mr Bentley said: "I don't think it's about increasing smaller centres. We have to be cautious about this.

"Our colleagues in GP practices are vaccinating up to 1,000 people a day as well and that's really good.

"There is capacity in Medway Maritime to jab more people. What we need to do is keep it under review and see what the art of the possible is."

Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst has been calling for the towns to have its own dedicated centre and said she would continue to push for one.

Mr Bentley said: "I met with some of the MPs from Medway last week. They are absolutely doing what they do which is to advocate on behalf of their constituents.

"What we need to do is keep it under review and see what the art of the possible is..."

"What they want, similar to every other MP that one works with, is a centre in their area."

Mr Bentley added: "We hope by setting this one up we'll cover the population of north Kent in conjunction with our colleagues in primary care and between us and cover the whole population.

"The 45 minutes to Gravesend is a broad distance and that's good but we don't want to exclude anyone from having the jab."

Rochester resident Shirley Cooke was one of the first people to attend the new Gravesend centre when it opened today.

The 74-year-old has chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), arthritis and glaucoma and booked online after receiving her letter.

She said: "It only took 20 minutes to get here, it was really easy to find and there was free parking. Everyone has been so kind and helpful.''

"I just want to have a life again and be able to hug my grandchildren, who are eight-years-old.''

Shirley's daughter Abigail Mitchell took her mum to the vaccination centre. She said: "It was swift and seamless from start to finish, very relaxed and calm, not at all stressful. It was very clearly sign-posted both inside and outside the centre, which was really useful.''

At least three sites in Medway have been proposed to the NHS to host a large-scale centre.

These include the Priestfield Stadium after Gillingham FC chairman Paul Scally announced he had offered up the Gills' home ground to be used in the vaccination programme.

Ms Tolhurst also confirmed to the Messenger last week two further sites had been proposed – Rochester Cathedral and the council-owned St George's Centre at Chatham Maritime.

It comes after Boris Johnson hinted Medway would be getting a centre of its own after being questioned by Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti in parliament at Prime Minister's Questions last Wednesday.

Mr Johnson said the government had been looking to set up a site "near him" in Medway, which has since been confirmed as the Gravesend site.

Mr Chishti, who spoke in person in the House of Commons chamber, asked for an assurance about whether there would be a mass vaccination centre "in Medway" after raising concerns about the roll out of the vaccine in the Towns.

The Prime Minister replied: "I share my honourable friend's sense of frustration about the pace of the vaccine roll out in spite of the fact we have the fastest in Europe.

"It is entirely right a constituency MP should want too see more to be done as fast as possible.

"We're certainly looking at a large-scale vaccination near him."