NHS Fife has said “significant” progress has been made in vaccinating people aged 80 and over against Covid-19 – with some GPs reporting 100% uptake.
All 54 GP practices in Fife are participating in the Covid-19 vaccination programme to deliver vaccines to this age group, with the vast majority starting to book appointments last week after receiving their first supplies of vaccine.
Nethertown Medical Practice in Dunfermline, which has around 480 patients aged 80 and over, has reported 100% uptake so far, with practice manager Les Elder saying staff expect to have vaccinated around 40% of patients aged 80 and over by the end of this week.
“The timescales involved in a programme of this scale are a challenge, however, staff in our practice are working really hard to ensure that we vaccinate our patients aged 80 and over as quickly as the supply allows,” he said.
“We are arranging clinics as soon as we receive each batch of vaccine to ensure that our patients get vaccinated without delay.
“Our patients have been really understanding and we would like to thank them for the patience they have shown as we support the rollout of the vaccination programme.”
Similar to Nethertown, Tayview Medical Practice in Newport-on-Tay has also reported 100% uptake of appointments amongst their patients aged 80 and over.
Business manager David Ramsay said: “So far we have vaccinated more than 220 patients, along with all the staff currently working in the practice.
“As more supplies of the vaccine become available to us, we will press ahead with vaccinating the rest of our patient population in this group.”
North Glen Medical Practice in Glenrothes has now offered vaccination appointments to all patients aged 80 and over, and expects to have completed its vaccination clinics early next week.
Practice manager Pamela Godfrey added: “We are pleased to say that we have now contacted all of our patients aged 80 and over to offer them an appointment for vaccination, and we’re really encouraged by the uptake so far.
“We also have a small number of patients who are housebound, and they will be vaccinated by our local district nursing teams instead.
“The last of our clinics are due to take place early next week, by which time we will have completed more than 180 patient vaccinations.”
Scott Garden, NHS Fife director of pharmacy and medicines, said he had been heartened by the progress made so far.
“Considerable headway has been made in the vaccination of our residents aged 80 and over and we expect that the programme will continue to gather pace as the supply of vaccine increases,” he added.
“The staff working in medical practices across Fife are working diligently to rollout the vaccination programme as quickly as the supplies allow, and we would like to thank them for their efforts thus far.
“Helpfully, local people have shown great understanding despite their understandable desire to see themselves and their relatives vaccinated, and this is very much appreciated.”
