Having been contacted by a number of elderly people who are struggling to access the covid booster vaccination, particularly in the Prestatyn area, Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has been liaising closely with the health board in a bid to ensure access issues are resolved.
Many elderly residents have been offered appointments, sometimes after dark, at the OpTic Centre in St Asaph Business Park. They have then often found it difficult to get through on the Health Board's telephone lines to alter their appointment.
James has been told that the issue is that the number of GP practices participating in the booster vaccination programme is significantly lower than that which took part in the initial delivery of the first and second doses.
He said:
“This is primarily due to the more complex supply and delivery requirements of the Pfizer vaccine, which include a 15 minute wait under supervision, and the need to avoid impacting practices’ capacity to now step up more general services.
“To partly compensate for this, many of the GP practices that are vaccinating will be administering the vaccine to patients of other practices as well as their own registered patients.
“The Health Board is also currently operating seven clinics in its Central area, two of which may be more convenient for residents of Prestatyn due to the public transport links to Rhyl and Kinmel Bay.”
The clinics are located at:
• OpTic Centre, St Asaph Business Park, Ffordd William Morgan, St Asaph LL17 0JD
• Wellington Community Centre, Wellington Road, Rhyl, LL18 1LE
• Kinmel Bay Community Centre, Off Foryd Road, Kinmel Bay, LL18 5BT
• Eirianfa Community Centre, Factory Place, Denbigh, LL16 3TS
• Sector House, Argyll Road, Llandudno, LL30 1DF
• Coed Pella Building, Conwy Road, Colwyn Bay, LL29 7AZ
• Glasdir Centre, Plas Yn Dre, Station Road, Llanrwst, LL26 0DF
The OpTic Centre is on the No 13 bus route; Wellington Road is on the coastal bus route (No 11C or 35 buses); and Kinmel Bay Community Centre is on coastal bus routes 36, 12 and 45.
There is also the Dial a Ride service available for Denbighshire residents in the area, at a cost of £8.50 return from Prestatyn to Rhyl and similar to the OpTic Centre.
James said:
“It is in the Health Board's planning for their vaccination team to operate a weekend vaccination clinic at Healthy Prestatyn/Ty Nant towards the end of November. This is to ensure that those who have been unable to reach one of the centres currently operating are able to take up an offer of a booster. However, the Health Board would not want individuals to delay having a booster if they are able to attend an earlier appointment elsewhere.
“The Health Board state it is not possible to provide the Covid booster jab programme at Healthy Prestatyn earlier than this, as the focus there is currently on the Flu vaccination programme. The two programmes are not easily compatible due to the need for individuals to wait for 15 minutes following the Pfizer vaccination. The Health Board would not want to delay the roll out of the flu jab as there is an expectation that this year’s flu season may be a difficult one.
“The Health Board indicate they are employing their resources to deliver a programme to the widest possible take up in the first instance, to maximise the general level of community protection. Following this, they will be deploying their resources more locally to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to take up the vaccine.
“People are being booked into appointments across all of the venues, but there is no mechanism that would enable patient choice at the time the appointments are being generated. If someone is unable to get to the session they have been offered, whether at the OpTic or indeed any other site, they need to telephone to cancel and request a new date. At that stage they can also ask for an alternative venue.”
James added:
“Although the Health Board says it has 40 lines in operation and staff are answering calls as quickly as possible, they state that the number of calls coming in means that it is not possible to answer them all within a reasonable timeframe.
“To give increased notice of their appointments these have now been sent out for up until the end of November, which it is hoped will assist people in being able to attend.
“I recognise that the above is not a perfect situation, but I would like to thank all those involved in delivering the vaccination programme, as good progress is being made in ensuring better protection for the population against Covid and Flu as we head towards the winter period.
“Should anyone be struggling to obtain their vaccine, please email me at [email protected] and I will do all I can to help.”
