NHS Tayside has apologised to all those affected by a booking system “error” that saw people waiting up to 90 minutes for their Covid booster jab.
One of the affected sites was Montrose Town Hall, where a large number of vaccinations had been scheduled for the same time slots on Sunday.
It meant many were forced to stand in long queues in the wind and rain, despite turning up on time for a pre-scheduled appointment.
As frustrations grew, staff were reportedly subjected to abuse from some of those waiting.
The health board says aggression “will not be tolerated” and has asked for staff to be treated with respect.
System error ‘resolved quickly’
But it says it is sorry for the issues created by the issue.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “We would like to apologise to anyone who attended for their booster vaccination on October 31 and had to wait longer than planned.
“The booking system error was resolved quickly and we would like to thank everyone who attended for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience this one-off error caused.”
Usually, appointments are scheduled with a 10-minute time gap between them to minimise wait times.
I feel so sorry for the older people and those that were disabled or had special needs.”
Some took to social media to complain about the situation.
One woman wrote: “I had to wait an hour and a half at Montrose and had to wait out in the cold and rain for about 45 minutes of this time.
“It was ridiculous the length of time to wait.
“I felt so sorry for the older people and those that were disabled or had special needs.”
Another said those leaving the queue to go to the toilet lost their place because there was no appointment order.
The NHS Tayside spokesperson added: “The public should be assured that the vaccination teams across Tayside are working very hard to ensure people are seen as quickly as possible and to minimise any delays.
“We would like to thank everyone who has attended so far during the vaccine programme and would encourage others to come along for their vaccine.”
The health board says additional help is available for anyone visiting its vaccine clinics.
Those who need assistance can alert stewards who are working with the nursing teams while wheelchairs can also access all the sites.
The vaccination team says people should also not arrive more than five minutes before their scheduled appointment, to minimise congestion and delays.
