Rachael Hamilton MSP has urged the Scottish Government to give assurances to health boards that next year will not be a ‘repeat’ of this year’s winter flu jab fiasco.
Thousands of Borderers struggled to obtain a flu vaccination appointment, as the delivery model for administering the vaccine changed this year.
Instead of local GP practices managing the roll out as in previous years, NHS boards commandeered the allocating and booking of flu jabs at centralised locations.
It caused widespread confusion and concern amongst Borderers who were unable to obtain an appointment to receive their jab due to the sheer number of calls to the call centre.
Mrs Hamilton has been given reassurances from Ralph Roberts, the Chief Executive of NHS Borders that all is being done to ensure that people are accommodated for, however it has emerged that some constituents have paid for private appointments to receive the vaccination or still do not have an allocated slot.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“We cannot let this unpreparedness happen again, and I want the SNP Government in Edinburgh to make improvements so we do not have a repeat of this next year.
“It has been clear the SNP Government did not consider the extra support and resources that local NHS boards would need to make the transition to the new delivery model.
“Many of my constituents had to endure long phone calls to the call centre organising winter flu jabs.
“The new model of delivery has tested a lot of people’s patience and many have been left exasperated by the situation.
“Particularly at this difficult time, people did not want to have further complications when trying to book an appointment for something so vital.
“I have been given reassurances from NHS Borders, however many are still waiting for an appointment or have turned to booking their vaccination privately due to the difficulties".