A boss at NHS Highland has said the next few months will be “challenging” for the health board, as it prepares to deliver more than 500,000 flu and Covid vaccines before the end of the year.
Dr Tim Allison, the board’s director for public health, said the next stage of the plans will require staff to deliver “more vaccinations than we ever have before”.
The target of half a million doses is almost 15,000 more than the total number of Covid vaccines given out by NHS Highland since that programme started in December 2020.
They include the flu shots that are normally distributed ahead of winter, as well as the first, second and booster doses of the coronavirus jab.
Those waiting to hear about their appointment have been asked for “patience”, and told to wait to receive their invitation rather than directly contacting their GP practice.
Logistical battle
Dr Allison said the “complex geography” of the Highland health board area, and the trouble of taking into account residents’ busy work and school life, compounded the difficulty of scale.
He said: “The vaccine programme in NHS Highland has been a great success with hundreds of thousands of vaccinations being delivered across a very large, remote and rural geography.
“The first phase was not without challenges but I am full of praise for our vaccination teams, those behind the scenes, and the general public for embracing it the way they did.”
However, he added: “This next phase, which will see us delivering more vaccinations than we ever have before, will be challenging.
“Not only do we have a larger number of people requiring vaccination we also have a population that has gone back to work or school and will not find it as easy to attend clinics.
“The reopening of NHS services also restricts our ability to complete vaccinations across a complex geography as quickly as we aim to.”
Covid vaccine success
NHS Highland has the third highest percentage of population to have received a first dose of the Covid vaccine among Scottish health boards.
With around 77.8% of Highlanders having been given at least one dose, it is just slightly behind Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.
In comparison, only around 73.4% of those registered in the NHS Grampian health board area have had at least a single dose.
Dr Allison said: “Clinic plans are kept under constant review and all options to increase the amount of qualified staff available to carry out vaccination are being considered.
“Please be assured we are working to vaccinate you as quickly as we can but we would ask for everyone’s patience as we work through our plans.