Where's the equity in Covid jab programme?

Following on from comments by Mr Sheldrake and Mr Morgan last week, I would like to make a few comments about the vaccination situation in Swindon. I have been on the NHS Website looking at where vaccinations are available and the usual suspects are there: Reading, Bristol, Oxford. No sign of anything in Swindon as usual.

Why is it that people of Swindon must go far afield as those vaccination centres and this problem has existed for months now? In my view because of extremely poor forward planning by the CCG and the Swindon Director Public Health.

There are over 20 surgeries/ GP Practices that could be used for Covid vaccinations. The Carfax NHS Medical Centre is in centre of town, which is less than 100 yards from Sanford house, (where Sanford House is only open 1 day a week, for vaccinations). To add to the irony of the situation Sanford house is not even on the list of NHS walk in centres for vaccinations. There are no walk-in vaccination centres at all in Swindon on the NHS website. Contrast that situation to Bath and Salisbury in the same CCG area with smaller populations, less need but incredibly good walk-in provision

Boots on Brunel Plaza has been giving flu vaccinations for years. Why were they not asked to give Covid vaccinations? Because they have not been approached by the CCG or the Swindon Director of Public Health. Indeed, there were no plans to open any other vaccination centres after closing down GWH for vaccination for the public by the CCG. More closures are to be expected.

The Director of Public Health has overall responsibility for the strategic oversight of health protection incidents/outbreaks impacting on their population’s health. This organisation should ensure that an appropriate response is put in place by local responding organisations, that this is proportionate and effective in meeting local needs.

It appears that neither the CCG nor Swindon Public Health, have the capacity to think about planning ahead. It's called basic planning. The PM has recently said that everyone over the age of 18 will be vaccinated by mid-January. The CCG or Swindon Public Health have not put the right provisions in for the last few months and it is extremely unlikely they will reach the PM's goal within the remaining six weeks. Indeed, the CCG has recently decommissioned the GWH and talked about cutting down vaccination centres when there has been inadequate provision in Swindon for a long time now. Also, Swindon has lagged behind national average in vaccination coverage since the start of the programme.

Although official policy for the flu vaccination and coronavirus states that work is required to get more BAME, deprived areas etc to take up vaccinations. there has been no improvement in attempting, for either flu vaccination or corona virus, to increase the uptake of the vaccinations in areas of high BAME concentration or in the deprived areas of Swindon in general. The vaccine bus was designated for this purpose. However, it was overused in other areas such as Bath, not in Swindon where need was greatest. Now the CCG has decommissioned it using the excuse "because of problems with heating on the bus,” Again, there has been no attempt to highlight the issue or solve the problem. Instead, it has been covered up until members of the public noticed it was no longer being used.

The people of Swindon are being left behind as vital resources are used elsewhere in Wiltshire and in other parts of the CCG area. The Swindon Public Health department are allowing this to happen. Why?

In Swindon there have been more than enough people who have been volunteering their time and expertise to help, to whom everyone in Swindon are truly grateful for. There is still a large amount of people who are more than willing to help, but their efforts have been hindered by the CCG and the Swindon Public health department. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are sabotaging the vaccination programme, as they are not using the resources that are available to them in an equitable way.

Name and address supplied

Huge cutting task

A big thank you to Dave and the team who have worked so hard cutting all the hedges in St. Andrew’s Ridge. It’s certainly a large area to cut, and why so many were planted when the estate was first built to make all this extra work was very short sighted. But they have done a great job, and it’s very much appreciated!

Jill and Derek Ricketts

North Swindon

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