An elderly Highland couple are being forced to wait another five weeks for their next Covid jabs after their appointments were cancelled without warning.
The pair, aged 76 and 80, were due to get their boosters at a clinic in Boat of Garten on October 31.
A few weeks prior, a sign had appeared on the door of the community hall suggesting the session was being postponed.
But the couple’s daughter, who did not wish to be named, rang the vaccine helpline and was told otherwise.
“I called the number and asked if it was definitely still on,” she recalled. “They reassured me it was.
“Sure enough, when we turned up, there was nobody there.”
The woman said several others had also arrived on the day, only to find the clinic had been cancelled.
‘Anxious and apprehensive’
When she tried to get new appointments for her parents, she was advised they’d now be waiting until December 8 for their fifth doses of Covid vaccine.
Another clinic is planned for November 14 but, with appointments now open for the over-50s, all of these slots were already snapped up.
And with cold and flu season already upon us, the woman said her parents have been left “anxious and apprehensive” by the extra wait.
“We live in a multi-generational household, and we need that extra layer [of vaccination] for maximum protection at this time of year,” she added.
“It’s the same for our neighbours down the road, an elderly couple in their 80s.
“It’s sheer incompetence – a disorganised mess.”
Why was the clinic cancelled?
The woman has called the set-up a “shambles” and wants changes to ensure people like her parents are offered the best chances at avoiding sickness.
“Surely they could prioritise those impacted on October 31 by offering them an appointment on November 14?
“If need be, you could move those less vulnerable with appointments that day to December 8.”
It’s understood the clinic was cancelled by NHS Highland to free up resources for others taking place in the area.
The health board has apologised, and said it made “every effort” to inform those with appointments of the change.
A spokeswoman added: “Unfortunately, it was not possible to contact all those affected and we are sorry that the information received when calling the national helpline was inaccurate.
“Our teams are working hard to add additional clinics where capacity allows.”
NHS Highland began holding its first winter booster clinics in mid-September.
It advises anyone who’s been asked to attend a session “not appropriate for their needs” to contact the local team on 08000 320 339 to discuss the options.
The board is also encouraging anyone who has a Covid vaccination appointment and can’t make it to cancel it or reschedule, and free up the slot for someone else.
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