PENN Surgery has offered further reassurance to its patients in their 80s and 90s not to fret if they are unable to travel to one of the Government’s mass Covid vaccination centres or even to the local vaccination centre at Adams Park in High Wycombe. However doctors said their efforts were being hampered by short notice of vaccine supply.
A number of very elderly local patients were distressed when they received a letter from the NHS at the weekend saying they could book an appointment at the recently established mass vaccinations centres, all of which are several miles away. Many were concerned as to how they could get there.
The Bucks Clinical Commissioning Group, representing all local doctors’ surgeries, immediately issued a statement on Sunday saying the patients contacted did not have to accept the invitation to the mass vaccination centre but could wait a few more days for an invitation to a local vaccination centre, currently operating at Adams Park, the home of Wycombe Wanderers football club.
In a message to patients yesterday, Penn Surgery, part of the Beaconsfield based Simpson Centre, repeated this and went further, adding: “We understand that some of you are unable to get to Adams Park and we will be making alternative arrangements for you.”
The surgery added that so far it has only been allocated 200 vaccines and “our efforts are further hampered by the fact that we get very little notice – typically only two to three days – of when we receive our next delivery”.
Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS said yesterday that some areas did need “chivvying” over vaccine supply, but named only London as an area where supply would have to be accelerated.
All patients are being urged not to contact their local surgeries about Covid vaccinations. The NHS will contact you.