Anger over vaccination queues in Kirkintilloch - again!

The Herald has received several emails which alerted us to the problem, which we also reported on back in November 2021.

The issue appears related to scheduling which meant that extensive queues built up, meaning many elderly residents were forced to wait up to two hours for their booster jab.

One resident who contacted us, Florence Cairney said: “My 84-year-old registered blind mother in law, who also suffers from a multitude of other ailments, had her vaccine appointment on Wednesday evening last week at Kirkintilloch town hall at 6.45pm.

"Fortunately I decided to accompany her and we were down on time for her appointment to see a queue half way up Union Street apparently this has been the case since the program began.

"We initially joined the queue but as it was getting dark and rain was imminent I decided to ask a member of staff the waiting time and she duly informed me it would be an hour and a half to two hours.

"I actually thought she was joking I mean late at night and vulnerable people lining up in the dark and rain this apparently is Scotland in the 21st century.

"When I asked why this was I was told by a member of staff that Greater Glasgow churn all these appointments out in the hope that many don’t turn up but as we all know the older generation are not in the habit of wasting appointments by not turning up they value health service but apparently the health board don’t value them.

"The icing on the cake for me was when I saw another lady who was behind us speaking to a member of staff at the exit door she then proceeded to take her mother out the queue saying ‘come on I’ve had to tell a pack of lies but we’re getting in the other door’.The moral of the story is my mother in law hasn’t had her vaccines and unless the appointment system changes she won’t be having it and nor will I.”

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We apologise to anyone who has had to wait longer than expected for their vaccinations and would like to thank members of the public for their patience and the support they have given our vaccination teams, who are working hard to ensure those receiving their vaccinations are processed both swiftly and safely.

“To help prevent waits and to allow our vaccination teams to process people in a timely manner, we are asking members of our local communities to arrive only a few minutes ahead of their allocated appointment time.

“If anyone is concerned about accessing a clinic, we would encourage them to call the national helpline on 0800 030 8013.”