Dundee pensioner offered 92-mile round trip for Covid booster

Amanda Jones was "astonished" at being unable to get an appointment at her local centre.

By James Simpson

March 25 2023, 7:50am

Amanda Jones discovered there was no appointments in Dundee. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

A Dundee pensioner faced a 92-mile round trip to Aberfeldy for a Covid booster vaccine due to a system glitch.

Amanda Jones was “astonished” when she was unable to get an appointment at her local vaccination centre.

The 75-year-old received a letter from NHS Scotland, advising she was now eligible for a spring booster.

Amanda Jones. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

As she was unable to attend the date scheduled for the centre in Dundee’s former Zara store, the West End resident discovered there was no other availability in the city.

A screenshot shared with The Courier below detailed alternatives vaccination centres, including Aberfeldy Health Centre.

Initially thinking it was an error, Amanda called the helpline but a call handler for NHS Scotland advised he could offer “no explanation”.

The NHS Scotland booking portal. Supplied: Amanda Jones

Amanda said: “Sadly I couldn’t make the appointment that was scheduled but the letter stated if you couldn’t attend to check the booking portal.

“I went online to discover Dundee was no longer available and was astonished at some of the options.

“There was a 46-mile trip to Aberfeldy but there was absolutely nothing for Dundee.

“A call handler stated ‘I couldn’t reschedule in Dundee’.

“There was no further explanation and he outlined some of the alternative locations.

“I could not believe a city like Dundee wasn’t able to offer an alternative date or venue for the booster.”

The vaccination centre in Dundee’s former Zara store.

During an attempt to try again on Friday it was discovered locations in Monifieth and St Andrews were also no longer available.

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said a system update on Thursday has caused the glitch but has now been fixed.

‘Dundee clinics did not display’

She said: “The national appointment system is currently updated weekly with new appointments.

“Whilst the appointments are uploaded, the system is temporarily unavailable.

“The system was updated yesterday and, due to a glitch, the Dundee clinics did not display.

“This issue was identified this morning (Friday) and quickly resolved.

“We apologise to anyone who was inconvenienced by this.

“We would like to reassure people that there are plenty of appointments available for COVID-19 vaccinations in Dundee and we would encourage everyone to take up the offer of vaccination.

“Appointments can be made online and anyone who needs further support can contact the local NHS Tayside vaccination team on 01382 423108.

“Information and support is also available online at the NHS Vaccination Tayside Programme.”