Patients lying to book Covid jabs 'causing difficulty' at Cornwall's vaccination centres
The booking service relies on people being honest but NHS Kernow says centres will check and refuse people who are not eligible
The NHS in Cornwall have said that they are working on how to ensure hard to reach groups can access Covid-19 vaccinations.
An update on the vaccination programme in Cornwall was provided to Cornwall Council’s health and adult social care overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday morning (3rd March).
Councillors heard that as the vaccinations are given to the relevant groups there was also work being done to ensure all get the vaccine.
Natalie Jones, chief nursing officer for NHS Kernow, said: "We are planning to establish a group to look at those hard to reach groups like those who are homeless or travellers, those people we need to pay particular attention to to access their vaccines".
Councillors heard that 94% of people in Cornwall within the priority group receiving vaccines – the over-70s and clinically, extremely vulnerable – had now received their first vaccine and are in the process of receiving their second jabs.
Mrs Jones said that there was also work going on to offer vaccines again to those who had declined to book their jabs.
She said: "We may have had people not wanting it but now that it is more normal thing they may choose to have their vaccinations now".
The chief nursing officer said that the aim was to have people over the age of 50 or clinically vulnerable get their first vaccine by the middle of April.
Some councillors asked about how people were being invited to book their vaccinations and asked whether they should contact their GP surgery if they are concerned.
Mrs Jones said that there was a set process for the letters and contacts being made and there was no need for people to contact their GPs.
However she said that if anyone was in the over 50s or clinically vulnerable group and had not received their first vaccination by mid April then they might want to contact their GP.
Councillor Barbara Ellenbroek said that she had been concerned to see reports on social media that people who were not in the priority groups had been able to book vaccinations online and get them at the mass centres such as Stithians and the Royal Cornwall showground.
She asked whether this was true and whether there was any messaging going out to discourage it.
Mrs Jones said that while people might be able to book a vaccination by ticking boxes which do not apply to them on the online booking system they would not be given a vaccination if they then went to a centre.
She said anyone going to the centres would be checked and if they were not in the relevant cohort then they would be turned away.
She said: "The national booking system does rely on people being honest when booking, when they tick things about being in a particular cohort they can get through.
"But if people turn up at Stithians with a booking they have to identify themselves and that will be checked to ensure they are eligible. If they are not they will not get a vaccine.
"It is causing some difficulty for people at the vaccination centres".
Natalie Jones, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS Kernow