Health boards U-turn on drop-in vaccine clinics
- Published
Two of Scotland's health boards have reinstated drop-in vaccination clinics, a day after saying they were being phased out.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire were criticised on Friday after saying they planned to focus on scheduled appointments.
Both have now said drop-in vaccinations are available again, with Glasgow's health board citing public demand.
Opposition politicians said the lack of drop in clinics was "unbelievable".
On Friday - the day the Scottish government's vaccine passport scheme was launched partly to encourage vaccine take-up - there was no vaccination "on-demand" available in the whole of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) which covers 1.2 million people.
NHS Lanarkshire, which covers 655,000 people, also announced there would be no drop-in vaccination from 1 October because its focus was now on booster jabs and flu vaccinations.
However, on Saturday NHSGGC announced: "In response to demand from the public, we are now running drop-in vaccination clinics for first and second doses this weekend."
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NHS Lanarkshire said seven centres would be offering drop-in vaccination, though it warned people that they were expected to be busy.
Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie had earlier called the halting of drop-in clinics "extraordinary and dangerous".
"It is down to this SNP government to stop going at a snail's pace and take action to ensure that health boards continue to provide vaccination clinics, particularly as the NHS is already in crisis before we even get to the pressure created by winter," she said.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP said: "This is unbelievable. This flies in the face of the SNP saying their vaccine passport scheme would encourage uptake among younger groups."
The Scottish government said the vaccination programme was a "remarkable achievement" with 92% of people aged 18 and over having now had their first dose, and 86% of adults fully vaccinated.
A spokesperson said: "Having made such progress it now makes sense to look at how we reach those who may have been hesitant and those in the younger age groups that have now become eligible."
Drop-in clinics were also being delivered in and around universities and college campuses, the spokesperson added.