Dame, being vulnerable in every way I hope you are well ahead in the target challenge of 130 million vaccinations.
Another ten years to go for the rest of us? I drove an elderly friend to the North London Health Centre, 40 minutes from her home, for her first jab and just received an £85 parking ticket from the centre while I waited for her.
Yesterday my elderly neighbour walked to the Earls Court Health Centre in Kensington for her first jab and waited for twenty minutes on the pavement, in cold and rain, before being allowed in.
In both cases, the administration of the vaccine by health staff was a friendly, first class service.
Today, another 63k infections. The highest ever, and still climbing. And GPs are starting to report they are worried about vaccine supplies. The system is based on a piano wire of a single "Oxford" supplier for formulations from a factory in Wrexham. This is Dad's Army. And, in the meantime, the economy is on hold and a wrecking ball of debt is building up.
Some out of the box thinking and/or logistics experts like DHL and FEDEX are needed.
Vaccine shortage? Mr Poonwaller, an Indian entrepreneur, bet the shop earlier this year and built production capacity outside Mumbai for 2 billion doses a year. He is ready to go and the Gates Foundation will soon start signing contracts for the vaccine for Africa. Poonwaller is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical manufacturers. And most of the world's aeroplanes are grounded. Waiting to transport vaccine? And India has a 300 year relationship with Britain, to smooth the process. Need I say more.......
There are a few MPs who see the need to shake things up. They are shaking it. But they need support.
Your sadly,
A reader
At the outset the medical side of the military should have been deployed. A vast pool of unused skills have been wasted. Logistics and emergency planning is what our military excels at
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor of London said on LBC radio this morning that the virus is out of control in London.
ReplyDeleteThis is a scandal. Kensington Councillors know about the dreadful vaccination infrastructure because they are getting complaints from elderly residents about having to stand around in the street waiting for vaccines.
ReplyDeleteCome on Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of the Borough. Why don't you make the Great Hall of the Town Hall available for vaccinations? At least residents could wait indoors and the elderly could sit while waiting.
WHAT DOES THIS COUNCIL THINK IT IS HERE FOR?
There is a big empty Town Hall in the Kings Road too. Lots of space for the elderly to sit in warmth while waiting for a vaccine. And K&C has masses of empty churches. Cllr Campbell needs to get on her phone and call the Bishops.
DeleteJanuary 7th, 2021, 10:50 am
ReplyDeleteI had the jab this morning at a local set-up in the trading estate using a building that hires out offices. It has good space for car parking, but when I arrived 20 minutes before my appointment, which was one of the earliest at 8.10am, the signs directing traffic and the location were only just being put up. It was the first day of operation and was using the Pfizer vaccine. The access road had a large artic parked about 50 yards down the road blocking traffic (it was still there when I left at 08.45). There was a queue that went outside down a ramp (which was signed for a one way system, but I later found was the only wheelchair route, so disruptive for those leaving. Temperature was close to zero, so people were huddling, but were being told to stand 2 metres apart...
When one got inside we were directed to tables where they had a list of people due, which they checked. They then sent you to another position which handed you a ballpoint pen to keep, an information leaflet about the vaccine and a form to fill in, together with a numbered ticket. Bearing in mind that the people having the vaccination were elderly and some were wearing warm gloves, inevitably the number tickets tended not to be seen and were dropped. You were directed to seats where you filled out the form. No hard surface was available to support writing on it.
The form was A5 in quite small print. You had to insert details starting with your full name (in a rectangle about an inch by half an inch!), date of birth, email address, telephone number. You had then to sign and date permission to have the jab and their use of your data. You then waited until your number was called.
You then went to a person who was to give the jab, who had a computer on which they then recorded the data you had written on the form, but inevitably couldn't read it exactly so one had to give them help. Then you got the jab and after that went to another seating area to wait 15 minutes (I guess in case you failed to stop bleeding or had anaphylactic shock). One then left.
I suggested to the staff I had dealings with that I hoped that they had time at the end of the day to review how to make the process smoother. My time in the process was 35 minutes.
Another interesting issue was that after being telephoned by my surgery two days ago advising me of the availability of the vaccination, they said I would be emailed with confirmation of the location. I did get the post code at the time off the telephone call, fortunately because I had no confirmation by email - maybe they didn't look it up at the surgery and didn't transcribe it over the phone correctly. While sitting for the 15 minutes recovery period, I turned on my mobile phone (which is just a phone) to call Mermie and found that three messages from the surgery (I had checked the pnone twice for messages the day before) suddenly arrived. The first dated from the afternoon I was telephoned. Some weird effect possibly associated with not having my phone on all the time...
At least I have got the jab, but doubt that they can get millions through at a rate, if my experience is anything to go by, and being ticket number 16, of about 30 an hour!
This is astounding! Its minus 2 degrees outside today.
DeleteIts a shambles
ReplyDeleteI have heard from two private practice GPs that they have offered to help but were turned down by the NHS. This is restrictive practice by NHS bureaucrats. Private sector surgeries and hospitals could be a huge additional capacity. Trained and ready to go.
ReplyDeletePrivate hospitals and GPs frozen out? By a Tory Government?? Not allowed to vaccinate???
DeleteWe might as well have Labour
I am sure that Drs Boreham and Rowley, two private GP's in South Kensington, both of whom practiced in the NHS until 2017, would be brilliant at vaccinating people for Covid 19. Their flu jab vaccination clinic was highly efficient.
DeleteTown Halls and Churches lie empty. They could be used as vaccination centers. Just as they are used for Polling Stations at Election Time. Why are they not being used?
ReplyDeleteLondon mayor Sadiq Khan declared a major incident this afternoon as he said the spread of coronavirus was now 'out of control' in the capital.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post, it's very useful with me, some time you can access among us or run 3 and play with me
ReplyDelete