Yet more delays for elderly residents at vaccination centre

This follows hot on the heels of an apology to local MSP Rona Mackay issued by Professor Angela Wallace, Director for Nursing at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde which featured in the Herald only last week.

John Hunter, 84, received an appointment for Tuesday, October 11 at 9am but when he arrived at Kirky Town Hall was forced to join a queue, which he stood in for two hours, in the rain and wind, before finally getting inside where he received his booster and flu vaccinations.

John’s wife Isobel commented: “When he left the building the queue was already halfway down Union Street.

“It was raining and cold - what a way to treat people.

Professor Wallace’s apologies mean nothing unless action follows, which in this case clearly did not. So much for the worthless apologies from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.”

A spokesman for the NHS said: Since the start of our winter vaccination programme rollout, which covers COVID-19 boosters and flu, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s has administered more than 310,000 vaccines, putting us well on course to deliver more than 630,000 vaccinations during this time.

"Our teams are working tirelessly to ensure those receiving their vaccinations are administered both swiftly and safely.

“We apologise to anyone who has had to wait longer than expected, teams are working hard to address a small number of issues by redeploying staff to affected clinics, with 70 new vaccinators, who will support across our sites, also trained in recent weeks.

“To help prevent waits, please arrive only a few minutes ahead of your appointment time.

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

Strathkelvin and Bearsden MSP Rona Mackay said: “I’m very sorry to hear of the problems faced by this local resident.

“I will be continuing to monitor the situation.”