"Flu and Covid Vaccination Clinic 12.10.24"

My dad and I had our covid boosters at the surgery on 12.10.2024.

We appreciate you putting on this clinic and we also appreciate the tremendous hard work that surgery staff including volunteers put into this. However, there are some major health and safety concerns that I have about how the clinic was handled.

My dad and I booked ourselves in for a 1.30pm slot but we got a text saying that we could come earlier if we wanted. When we arrived we found that a queue had built up inside the reception area. Although both my Dad and I were wearing masks, reception staff were not and I could see no obvious signs advising people to mask or even a free supply of surgical masks. As we were queuing a volunteer asked people to bunch up closer together so that people wouldn't have to queue outside. I appreciate that both entrances to the building were open but due to the nature of viruses, the way they move around an enclosed space and the crowded conditions it would not be enough ventilation to prevent viral transmission. Please bear in mind that there is a sign asking people not to come too close to reception staff yet someone was asking people to get closer together and most of those people were not wearing masks including staff and volunteers. This is in the midst of an ongoing covid pandemic and flu season, where most of the people waiting are doing so because they are in the most vulnerable groups for contracting flu and covid. I politely explained this to the volunteer who seemed to think it wasn't a problem as people had been vaccinated; I had to explain that we were all here to get boosters because the vaccines wane and are not sterilising vaccines, just another layer of mitigation people should be taking. She replied she was just doing as asked and I appreciate it was not her fault but volunteers did not seem to have adequate training or information on the nature of viral transmission. This all defies good medical practice and indeed logic that vulnerable people were crowded together in this way. I appreciate it was raining and that people were queuing out of the door but there were ways this could have been managed, such as asking people who'd arrived in cars to wait in their car or people who lived a short distance away to return later.

It would also be a good idea to advise people to wear masks when you invite us for boosters in future, and perhaps at least have a free supply of surgical masks at reception as there were only four people including myself and my Dad wearing them when we attended.