Health board admits people received vaccine over others after booking number shared on social media
A health board has admitted some people received their Covid-19 vaccine over others after a booking number dedicated for frontline staff was shared on social media.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board issued a statement on Thursday saying a telephone number for their mass vaccination centre had been shared on different online platforms telling people to call to book in a slot for a Covid vaccination.
It said the booking line was set up for frontline health and social care staff to book appointments.
"Now that the number has been shared it has been increasingly difficult for these staff to obtain an appointment due to high call volumes."
It said this caused people to receive appointments for their vaccination "ahead of programme".
People have been urged not to share or call the number unless they have been formally invited.
ITV Wales has been contacted by several people expressing confusion and concern.
One woman emailed to tell us that “I have been given this number in the last couple of days to basically jump the queue. People are ignoring the answerphone message which says you should only use this number if you have been told to do so and being given first and second appointments. It is totally unfair and frustrating on the people who are waiting to be contacted through the correct channels.
Another said that the number was given to a 78-year-old friend of his in Rhiwbina in Cardiff. “He did phone and after waiting a while he was given a date for him and his wife for this Friday and the second jab in April. What also staggers me is that his neighbour in his 60's and his wife have already had their jabs.”
“Now surely this goes totally against the advice that we have been given whereby we are told to wait for a call from the NHS to be invited to have the jab as it was supposed to be done in an orderly manner. Now is it no wonder that the most vulnerable and old people are not getting their jabs. This news is disgraceful.”
Another, who is 77, said, "I have heard nothing, but my brother who is just 74 , lives a mile up the road but belongs to a different surgery has a date for his vaccine. My friend’s husband is 82 , lives a mile in the other direction ( all North Cardiff, Cyncoed and Lisvane) attends yet another surgery and he has heard nothing. The more you ask people, the more these inequalities seem to be rearing their head.
“I am prepared to wait patiently for my turn but it seems that some are getting it before others who should be next in line.”
The health board said as soon as it was alerted to the booking number being shared, it reviewed its processes to "ensure only the priority groups 1-4 can access their appointments at the appropriate location."
"We would ask people to please wait to be contacted by the Health Board or their GP Practice and you will be seen.”
The health board said it is working through the priority groups and they will be contacted in the following way:
Health and social care workers - invited to call booking line or online form
80 and over - invited by their GP practice
Housebound - contacted by the health board and delivered by a mobile vaccination team
Age 75-79 - invited by their GP practice
Age 70-74 - invited by the health board to attend a mass vaccination centre
Clinically vulnerable and over 75 - invited by their GP practice
Clinically vulnerable and 74 and under - invited to attend a mass vaccination centre
"We appreciate that people are anxious and want to receive their vaccinations and we are working closely with our partners to vaccinate all of these priority groups by mid February", the health board said.
"It is important to note that the groups above are also being vaccinated concurrently so we can vaccinate as much of our population as we can. Please be patient and wait to be contacted and we will get to you."
Welsh Conservative health spokesperson, Angela Burns MS described it as "very concerning".
"These reports are very concerning, particularly as thousands of over-80s across Wales are still waiting for their first vaccine.
"With important targets being missed and people now jumping the queue, Labour ministers must get a grip on this rollout and ensure health boards stick to the priority groups. "It's fast turning into a lottery and one that is putting lives at risk."
She added that it also taps into a wider concern about how NHS IT and data systems operate. The Welsh Government say from April there will be a new NHS Wales organisation focused on digital.