BBC News
Published
image captionThe Labour MP had asked the health secretary to urgently intervene to fix the supply issue
A town will receive Covid-19 vaccines for a group of vulnerable locals after an MP highlighted a shortage there.
Marie Rimmer told Parliament on Tuesday that a supply misunderstanding meant St Helens may not be able to vaccinate 3,200 at-risk people aged 16 to 65.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock agreed to look into the issue after the Labour MP for St Helens South and Whiston asked him to urgently intervene .
NHS bosses said the doses were secured from another vaccination site .
The Local Democracy Reporting Service said St Helens vaccination hub at the Totally Wicked Stadium serves four primary care networks, but the national supply scheme had been counting them as one single entity, which meant it was only receiving a quarter of the vaccines needed.
The additional vaccines are coming from the Chester mass vaccination centre, located at Chester Racecourse. The shortage would have meant 3,000 vulnerable people in cohort six – that is, adults aged 16-65 with underlying health conditions – having their vaccinations postponed. It was due to an NHS England procedure that meant the four personal care networks (PCNs) at the Totally Wicked Stadium were counted as one. Each PCN equates to 30,000 to 50,000 patients, meaning the centre only receives a quarter of the vaccines necessary to cover the entire GP-led clinic downstairs. It usually relies on mutual aid from the mass vaccination centre upstairs to cover any shortages, but with cohort seven – people aged 60+ – being called for vaccinations, the supply simply wasn’t available.
By Jess Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter
Some patients risk having their vaccination delayed ST HELENS residents are at risk of having vaccination appointments postponed due to a “misunderstanding” in the national supply scheme. 3,000 people in cohort six – adults aged 16-65 in at-risk groups – could see their vaccination dates moved if supply issues are not resolved by Thursday lunchtime. The town has four primary care networks (PCNs) operating at the Totally Wicked Stadium vaccination centre – Central, North, South and Newton & Haydock. GP services all belong to one of the PCNs, and each network covers around 30,000-50,000 patients. However, NHS England procedures have seen the four networks all counted as one operating out of the stadium.
Warrington Wolves full 2021 Super League fixture list warringtonguardian.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from warringtonguardian.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.