HEALTH BOARD ‘ TOOK TOO LONG’ TO SAY SORRY
SCOTLAND’S health minister has criticised the Greater Gl a s g ow a nd C l y d e ( NHSGGC) health board for taking “too long” to apologise for its c ompl a i nt r iddle d f l u jab programme.
Jeane Freeman said it was “absolutely right” of NHSGGC boss Jane Grant to issue a public apology yesterday after hundreds of elderly patients were faced with major delays to receive the lifeline vaccination.
However, the SNP MSP said in her “mind” the board took a “wee bit too long” to say sorry and she admitted the vaccine rollout had “not gone smoothly” in many parts of the country.
Speaking as she delivered the winter preparedness in the NHS plan at parliament yesterday, Ms Freeman said: “In those places, the board that is most high profile in the regard is Greater Glasgow and Clyde, they have absolutely rightly apologised. In my own mind, I think they’ve taken a wee bit too long to do it, but they’ve done it.
“They’ve apologised offered a reassurance.
“The reassurance is that everyone over the age of 65 who has not received an appointment letter so far will receive one this week, they will run parallel programmes, they will make every effort to give people as much local accessibility as they will possibly can and they will staff up to do that.”
She insisted health boards across the country were working “seven days” to meet the Scottish Government’s target to vaccine nearly 2.5million people – an increase of 50% on last year – for the flu by December 31.
Ms Freeman’s comments came after she was quizzed by MSPs Monica Lennon and Donald Cameron about the problems which have arisen since health boards took over the inoculation programme for the first time earlier this year.
Mr Cameron said: “The rollout of this vaccination programme has been both chaotic and confusing ... Ministers need to get a grip on this because people will rightly worry that if the Scottish Government is struggling to organise an vaccination programme for flu, how will it be able to organise an effective Covid- 19 vaccination programme when that time comes.” and they’ve
She told MSPs: “There have undoubtedly been problems in a number of areas, some of which boards have acted quickly to resolve, some of which they are still trying to resolve and I am acutely aware of that ... there are undoubtedly lessons to be learn.”
She said there are a “number of ways” the Covid- 19 vaccination plan will differ from the flu programme.
Ms Freeman also said the government was “learning the lessons from the flu programme” as it prepares for the coronavirus vaccine, which is expected to be ready at some point next year.
However, she insisted the controversial Scottish Immunisation and Recall System ( SIRS) – which prioritises vaccinations for youngest to oldest – would not be used for the Covid- 19 jab. She said the system, which is typically used for childhood immunisations, should not have been used by health boards, such as NHSGGC, for the flu programme as it was “not appropriate”.
NHSGGC did not respond to requests for comment. However, the board’s chief executive Jane Grant yesterday apologised for its failings in the flu programme rollout and promised it would “learn the lessons” ahead of next winter.
She said: “On behalf of the Health Board, I would like to sincerely apologise to all those people who have experienced issues with their flu vaccination appointments.
“We are very sorry for any distress and anxiety this has caused, especially among the more vulnerable members of our local communities.
“There have been a number of challenges with the delivery of the flu vaccination programme and we have taken action to ensure this situation never happens again.”