An elderly woman is understood to have collapsed with suspected hypothermia as NHS Fife’s Covid-vaccination programme descended into chaos on Monday.
Hundreds of people in their 70s were left standing for hours in the snow and ice outside vaccination centres across the region.
Long queues formed at community clinics in Kirkcaldy, Lochgelly, Buckhaven and Glenrothes, with many people forced to wait for more than two hours in plunging temperatures.
A number of exhausted pensioners queuing outside Lochgelly Centre were eventually sent home and told to re-book for later in the week.
The first dose of the vaccine is being delivered at 12 Fife community venues and people have been given specific appointment times by letter.
There were people in wheelchairs outside with the snow coming down.”
John Davidson.
One man who waited at Rothes Halls described his experience as “dreadful”.
The distressing scenes come after NHS Fife pledged to learn lessons from their shambolic flu vaccination programme last year.
Labour MSP Alex Rowley branded the latest debacle as “bordering on criminal” and called on the health board to “get a grip”.
He has written to NHS Fife chairwoman Tricia Marwick and chief executive Carol Potter to demand an explanation.
“It’s just incredible to have old people on one of the coldest days of the year standing for over an hour because they have a backlog,” he said.
“One woman collapsed with suspected hypothermia outside Lochgelly.
“It’s not down to the staff inside. It’s poor organisation.”
He added: “NHS Fife has got to start putting people first.
“You can’t do this to old people.
“It’s bordering on criminal and it’s got to be stopped.”
‘Sincere apologies’
NHS Fife said in a statement on Monday night that appointments for its clinics this week had been overbooked.
The health board is now working with NHS National Services Scotland, which operates the booking system, to investigate the problem and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
This was entirely unacceptable and we are working with our colleagues in NHS National Services Scotland to understand how this scheduling error occurred.”
NHS Fife chief executive Carol Potter.
Chief Executive Carol Potter said: “I want to offer our most sincere apologies to those who had to wait in significant queues at some of our community vaccination clinics today.
“This was entirely unacceptable and we are working with our colleagues in NHS National Services Scotland to understand how this scheduling error occurred and ensure that it does not happen again.”
She said: “We know that local people are incredibly keen to get vaccinated as quickly as possible against COVID-19 and we have prioritised prompt actions to expand the capacity and quicken the flow of patients through our clinics.
“Patients who could not be vaccinated today will be contacted directly and will be offered a rescheduled appointment as quickly as possible.”
Ms Potter added: “The residents of Fife have shown a great deal of patience and understanding today, and we want to thank local people for their incredible support 2they have offered us over recent months.
I also want to thank our vaccination teams for the additional effort required this week to ensure that we minimise any disruption to our vaccination programme.”
John Davidson, 74, and his 73-year-old wife Doreen were among around 120 people queuing at Rothes Halls in Glenrothes at one point.
He said: “It’s the riskiest place we’ve been for months.
“There were about 50 or 60 people in front of us that I could see and the same behind us.
“It was absolutely freezing and there were people in wheelchairs outside with the snow coming down.
“There was no place to sit so we all had to stand.
“I was talking to one woman who had been waiting for her friend for more than an hour and a half.
“It was just dreadful. Really terrible.”
‘Absolute joke’
Kenny Smith, from Kelty, called for someone to be held accountable after his mother-in-law waited more than two hours outside Lochgelly Centre.
“NHS Fife is an absolute joke,” he said.
“There are people in their late 70s who have been outside for well over an hour.
“They’ve now been told they can go home if they want but they’ll have to apply for another appointment.
“It’s hardly the caring NHS we’ve all come to know and love.”
It’s hardly the caring NHS we’ve all come to know and love.”
Kenny Smith.
Similar scenes were reported outside Randolph Wemyss Hospital in Buckhaven, where vulnerable people queued for more than two hours.
Some were told to go home and return in an hour.
In Kirkcaldy, people waiting to be vaccinated at Templehall Community Centre queued round the block.
Local woman Christine May said: “Luckily it wasn’t snowing but it was very cold.
“Many in the queue were elderly, using sticks, needing help walking etc.”
The former Fife Council leader and Labour MSP was waiting for husband Bill and has her own appointment on Tuesday.
“The thought of standing in a blizzard for an hour is not doing my nerves any good,” she said.
“They seem to have given appointments at three-minute intervals and it’s just not long enough.
“I just hope it doesn’t deplete the numbers turning up because it’s so important to get vaccinated.
“Bill said once he got in the staff were brilliant.”
NHS Fife was forced to apologise in September after its flu vaccination programme was criticised when thousands of people could not book appointments when phone lines became jammed.
Only eight call handlers were employed to deal with 75,000 people at once.
