Cops get jabs first as elderly wait in queue in middle of freezing night
PENSIONER SLAMS ‘SHAMBOLIC’ SYSTEM AFTER HE WAS MADE TO WAIT NEARLY AN HOUR – DESPITE HAVING AN APPOINTMENT
A FRUSTRATED pensioner claims elderly people were left out in the cold for nearly an hour at a vaccination centre - as police officers without appointments got the jab before them.
Dr Tony Stock, 74, of Mapperley Park, booked his vaccine appointment late at night at The Forest recreation Ground at 12.30am on Saturday.
The former civil engineer arrived on time but was shocked to find between 50 and 100 police officers in the queue.
He said it was a case of “first come first served” which made “a mockery” of the system, which made it clear appointments should be made in advance.
Mr Stock said he is not against police officers getting the jab but is upset by the organisation of the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which he called “shambolic.”
He told the Post: “I don’t have a problem with police officers getting jabs but there was a large number.
“Elderly people were waiting in the cold while the police arrived by the car and bus load. There was 50 to 100 of them.”
Mr Stock asked the steward if he had an appointment, which was verified, but rather than let him in for his jab he was told to just “join the queue.”
He said the “very long queue” stretched from the vaccination centre to approximately halfway across the car park towards Gregory Boulevard.
He said there was a large number of uniformed police officers in groups in the queue between elderly residents who had booked their jab.
“It goes against everything that we have been told to do,” he said.
“Shortly after I took my place in the queue a police mini bus arrived from which a large group of uniformed officers emerged and joined the queue a few places behind me.
“It was clear that they were joining the queue on a first come first served basis. I was told that the time of my appointment was not relevant and that I should simply move forward with the queue and would be vaccinated according to my position in the line.
“It was very cold and as the Forest is an open area, a biting wind was blowing across. Many of the people in the queue were not dressed for standing for an extended period in the early hours of the morning on a cold midwinter night. It was so cold that one of the staff gave his jacket to a person on a mobility scooter so that he could keep warm.
“It is reasonable to assume that some of the over-70s in the queue had some health problems and in any case being elderly would be at some risk from prolonged exposure to the cold.”
He said he finally got the jab at 1.17am - nearly an hour after joining the queue.
He has written to the chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police, as he was concerned that some officers were not social distancing, and the CCG with his concerns. “The CCG are not terribly well organised,” he said. “What I would like to see is someone taking responsibility.
“I think if they had put a police officer every three or four in line it would not have caused any delays.” Assistant Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Steve Cooper said: “On this occasion we had worked with our colleagues in the NHS to significantly extend the opening hours of the centre, after an unexpected extra delivery of the vaccine. The additional hours and slots were immediately opened up on the NHS booking website, allowing those in the priority cohort to book.
“As this particular vaccine has to be used in a short timeframe, we were asked, along with other emergency services, to send officers and staff to the centre around 1am shortly before the batch would expire, so they could be ready for any vaccines that had not been booked and would be destroyed.
“This was after it was first offered to others in the health and social care arena and those who the NHS prioritise for vaccination.
“This is simply done as a pragmatic way to prevent waste.
“I am disappointed that anybody was made to wait behind an officer and I will ensure this doesn’t happen in the future.”
The CCG said appointments booked by members of the public were not affected by this and no vaccines were taken away from the public.
Nottinghamshire Police were invited to the site to use up any unfilled appointments, they said.
An NHS spokeswoman added: “The NHS is vaccinating over-70s, those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, care home residents and health care staff at the highest risk in line with JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) guidance.
“In order to avoid any vaccines being wasted, those administering the vaccine have to make pragmatic decisions to ensure any unfilled appointments are used.”
It was so cold that one of the staff gave his jacket to a person on a mobility scooter so he could keep warm. Dr Tony Stock