Call for more jabs to be given at Fernhill
Pensioners from Rutherglen and Cambuslang may have to travel more than a dozen miles to receive their second coronavirus vaccine jab.
And pressure is now growing on NHS Lanarkshire to open local vaccine sites more frequently to avoid sending elderly residents on lengthy trips to North Lanarkshire.
The health board has recently opened two super centres, at the Ravenscraig Sports Centre in Motherwell and the Alistair McCoist Complex in East Kilbride.
The aim is that these super centres will speed up delivery of the vaccine. However, as a result, the local centre in Fernhill will now only be open for one or two days every fortnight, with the next appointment on April 1.
That has led to some elderly members of the community being given early morning slots in Motherwell, which requires a journey on either two buses or a train, followed by a shuttle bus to the site, which is around 13 miles from Rutherglen.
It is possible to change an appointment, but to a later slot, and there are concerns some locals may be unaware of this option.
Rutherglen South councillor Robert Brown told the Reformer he is hoping to increase the availability at Fernhill.
He said: “There are advantages in the best use of scarce staff in the bigger centres, as more people can be vaccinated.
“For people like me with a car it is no issue. However, I had understood from the briefings we got from Lanarkshire Health Board that, for others for whom travel to the centre was an issue, it would be a simple matter of going on the website or phoning them and getting a local slot at Fernhill.
“Fernhill is pretty accessible by bus from much of Rutherglen and, indeed, some of Cambuslang. It does seem though that getting a Fernhill slot is rather more limited than I expected,
“My worry is that this will cause a lot of anxiety to people and perhaps result in some people not bothering. It is absolutely vital that everyone gets both doses of the vaccine.
“I am writing to the Health Board to see if they can allocate more slots to Fernhill.”
List MSP James Kelly also asked for more to be done.
He said: “The centre that had been operating at Fernhill Community Centre was both effective and convenient for local residents, which is why many are puzzled that the centre will now only operate on a fortnightly basis.
“The community have been proactive in highlighting that when the time comes, sending them to one of the new super centres is going to be inaccessible for many.
“It is vitally important that their concerns are taken on board now, and solutions are found to ensure that no one is having to get multiple buses to their vaccination site.”
Douglas Beard, chair of Halfway community council, is among those affected.
He said: “Both super centres are fine for people who can get there easily, but there are people for whom it’s not that simple.
“With the pandemic going on you don’t want to be getting two buses, or taking long trips on public transport.”
Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey said: “I really do sympathise with those being asked to travel for the Covid vaccine who may find this difficult for a variety of reasons.
“However using larger vaccination centres will vastly speed up the process of the rollout by allowing more people to be vaccinated more quickly.
“SPT have set up a dedicated line for public transport to the sites, car-sharing for this purpose is permitted if there is no other alternative, and people can change their appointment to the Fernhill centre that will be open on particular days.”
NHS Lanarkshire did not respond to the Reformer’s request for comment prior to going to print.