Winter booster jab programme ready to be rolled out

People aged 65 and over will be first in line for a winter booster jab to protect the most vulnerable from Covid-19 and ease the pressure on NHS Ayrshire and Arran hospitals.

 

From Monday September 5 vaccination teams will be delivering the winter vaccination programme on Arran, offering eligible people COVID-19 boosters and seasonal flu vaccines, however, dates for the clinics have yet to be advised.

 

The booster jabs will be given at the same time as the flu vaccine to those eligible where possible. Evidence shows that administration of both vaccines together is a safe and efficient way to deliver maximum protection over the winter.

 

Frontline health and social care workers are also eligible for the winter booster jab, with vaccination teams delivering these to hospital-based staff and care home workers at their place of work, and others being invited to book their vaccination appointment at a local vaccination centre by using the online portal.

 

Appointments for all other priority groups will be made available as the programme progresses. People in those groups should wait until they are contacted or called forward.

 

The programme follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation which recommended vaccinating people as soon as possible to have the best chance of mitigating the impact of Covid-19 over the winter.

 

NHS Ayrshire and Arran director of public health Lynne McNiven said: 'Covid-19 vaccine immunity reduces and the flu virus changes over time, so it’s important those eligible top up their protection by getting vaccinated this winter.

 

'I’d encourage those who receive an appointment letter through the post to attend. If you are unable to attend, please cancel or reschedule so we can offer the appointment to someone else.

 

'As we roll out the winter programme, our clinics will be very busy. We therefore ask anyone due a vaccine outwith the programme, for example if they have never had a vaccine for whatever reason and want to come forward now, to make an appointment rather than drop-in. You can call the national helpline or book online with the portal.'

 

Meanwhile, urgent and unscheduled care services with Ayrshire and Arran are currently operating under extreme pressures, according to the health authority.

 

The pressures are being felt by University Hospitals Ayr and Crosshouse and across all health and care system in Ayrshire and Arran.

 

Claire Burden, NHS Ayrshire and Arran chief executive, said: ‘Our urgent and unscheduled care services in University Hospitals Ayr and Crosshouse are under extreme pressure at this time. This is due to a combination of staff absence across the health and care system, high occupancy levels in our hospitals and some waits for transfers of care into the community, including high volumes of frail and ill patients requiring complex care.

 

‘These combined pressures can result in longer waits and I am sorry when this happens. There may be longer waits for telephone consultations; longer waits for assessment or reviews within primary and community care; delays to assessment in the emergency departments and our combined assessment units; delays to admission to wards and delays when planning a discharge.

 

‘Our dedicated staff are working tirelessly to try and improve the situation under challenging conditions. We ask for your patience and support in these matters. We continue to triage patient presentations and will prioritise our patients based on clinical need.’