Chiefs seek to allay jab supply worries with promise of more vaccines to come

Acklam Road Pharmacy, in Middlesbrough, is one of two administering jabs across Teesside at the moment alongside Fairfield Pharmacy, in Stockton. 

The site has been a base for vaccines for more than a month.

And there have been some doubts about smaller deliveries planned for the site in the coming fortnight. 

But Sandie Keall, NHS pharmacies boss for Teesside, has moved to quash misgivings about access to jabs in the town and beyond – explaining how vaccine deliveries often came through at short notice.

Teesside health officials say those in cohort 5 – aged 65 to 69 – are receiving invite letters from the national booking service to book at a large vaccination centre, or a community pharmacy site. 

Clinically vulnerable people in cohort 6 are seeing a focus from GP vaccination services initially. 

Ms Keall told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the mass vaccination programme was the biggest the NHS had ever done – and had come with challenges. 

She explained uptake of vaccines had been higher than expected initially – with supplies brought forward in some cases.

And Ms Keall said the NHS was trying to ensure “equity of access” to each of the cohorts as vaccines were released – adding it was a complex process. 

“The key things are we’re trying to ensure equity of access across each cohort as vaccines become available,” she added,

“We do have more pharmacies coming on board throughout March – and there are more vaccines coming.

“With each of the cohorts released, we get more vaccines. 

“What we can’t do is put appointments on the national booking system until we know we’re going to get vaccines – because there is nothing worse than patients trying to get an appointment somewhere and then us having to cancel then. 

“Once we get an allocation, we can then put appointments on the system.”

Riverside mass vaccination centre soon

Letters were sent out this week to those aged over 60 inviting them for vaccines. 

A mass vaccination centre is set to open at the Riverside Stadium in the middle of this month – with GP surgery groups continuing to invite patients for jabs across the region.

NHS officials have also confirmed pharmacies in Saltburn and Skelton will begin offering vaccines from next week.

Talks are also continuing between NHS officials and Boots on opening a vaccine site in Hartlepool. 

The Government’s next target is to offer a first dose to all over-50s by April 15 as well as for those with underlying health conditions aged 16 to 64.

Ms Keall sounded a plea for those invited to go to larger centres, or pharmacies, for their jabs to book through the national booking system – and not to clog up phone lines. 

When it came to vaccines, the chief officer of the local pharmaceutical committee explained some sites needed to be “stood up” quickly as supplies were often confirmed at short notice. 

She said: “The key thing is we’re getting through the priority groups as fast as we can in as many venues as we can.

“It’s a complex situation and it’s complex to stand up another pharmacy, surgery, or mass vaccination site because we need to make it safe.

“We can’t roll out the chip van as a vaccine site – it’s got to be clinically, ethically and legally safe.

“It’s about making sure all those ducks are in a row and making sure we give as much opportunity to members of the public as possible who want a vaccine to come forward and get one.”

Ms Keall added: “The pharmacy (in Acklam) is doing a fantastic job – and more are coming on board because of the fantastic job they’re doing – so watch this space.”

A spokesman for NHS North East and Yorkshire said: “As soon as supply is confirmed – which varies every week – the NHS works to confirm as quickly as possible what will be available to each vaccination site.”

For more information on booking vaccine appointments, go to: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/