Flu jabs cancelled amid staffing crisis

Teams on ‘amber alert’ as patients’ needs exceed resources

Flu jabs are being postponed and district nurses are being told to prioritise patients with “life supporting needs” due to staffing shortages.

The Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership (DHSCP) has placed teams on “amber alert”, with patients’ needs exceeding nursing resources.

One district nurse said she and her colleagues were at “breaking point” due to the strains being placed on the service.

A leaked “escalation memo” shows flu vaccines are not being administered, teams are being told to not carry out long-term condition reviews and staff are to miss non-urgent meetings for the first two weeks of this month.

A DHSCP spokeswoman insisted the upheaval would not have a major impact in the longer term.

Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East region, said the system was in crisis.

Emergency measures have been put in place to deal with a district nursing “crisis” in Dundee — including a two-week postponement of the flu vaccination programme.

A leaked “escalation memo” seen by The Courier shows the city’s district nursing teams have been put on “amber alert” because of a staff shortage.

The document from Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership (DHSCP) details a number of measures being taken to try to avert problems.

The alert means flu vaccines are not being administered, teams are being told to not carry out long-term condition reviews and staff are missing “non-urgent meetings” for the first two weeks in October. Staff are also being instructed to prioritise patients with “life-supporting care needs”.

The memo, dated September 27, reads: “The Community Nursing Service in Dundee is projecting challenges in service delivery...due to the needs of patients exceeding the nursing resources available within the city.”

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The planned changes will only be in place for a two-week period.

DHSCP SPOKESWOMAN

The disruption is restricted to the Dundee district services, according to a DHSCP spokeswoman, and flu jabs will still be available at health centres.

One Dundee district nurse, who spoke to The Courier on condition of anonymity, said she and her colleagues were at “breaking point”.

The nurse said: “There are not enough staff to cover everything we need to do. It is a total crisis.”

The nurse said hundreds of housebound patients were being affected by the staff shortage.

It comes as NHS Tayside issued a statement yesterday saying 32,000 children will be vaccinated in the next 12 weeks as part of a school visit programme.

Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East region, said: “The city team just doesn’t have the resources to carry out its duties.”

A DHSCP spokeswoman said: “The district nursing service in Dundee is currently experiencing capacity challenges due to a range of issues. The planned changes will only be in place for a two-week period and will not have a major impact on the longer-term care and support to our communities.

“The flu vaccination programme will continue across Tayside and those who receive their flu vaccination from the Dundee District Nursing team will receive it within the same time frame as previous years.”