North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has raised concerns in the Senedd that the Welsh NHS system cannot record covid vaccinations received outside of Wales.
Speaking in today’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood referred to a constituent who has been experiencing problems because he had his first COVID vaccination in Scotland, second in Wales and booster in England.
Raising the matter in response to the Health Minister’s Statement ‘Update on COVID-19’, Mr Isherwood told the Minister that his constituent has been receiving appointment letters for vaccines he has already received because the Welsh NHS system cannot record the jabs he received outside of Wales.
He said:
“I've been contacted by a constituent stating, 'My husband had his first COVID vaccination in Scotland, second in Wales and booster in England. This year, he has had two letters with appointments for a vaccination. After he pursued the first, he was told, 'Unfortunately, we aren't authorised to record vaccinations given outside of North Wales as it's outside our jurisdiction. Having checked the system, none of your vaccination details have been transferred over to us from NHS England'. He then ‘learnt that in fact his booster had been recorded, but not his initial Scottish vaccination, and there was no mechanism for recording this’.
“He then received another letter offering him a vaccination appointment. When he pursued this, he was given the option of opting out, but given that he's likely to be eligible for a fourth vaccination or second booster later in the year, that's not an option he's willing to accept and, after discussion, it was agreed he would have a stop on his record until June.
“As the wife said, ‘both England and Scotland have sorted out the issue of people having vaccinations in different places. Why can't Wales manage it?’
“When I pursued this with the Health Board, their Chief Executive stated that ‘the national vaccination record system is the responsibility of the Welsh Government’ and ‘we can't alter the record for vaccines received outside of our area. We have repeatedly raised this issue at a national level because of the problems it causes'. How do you respond to my constituent accordingly?”
Perhaps predictably, the Health Minister blamed ‘the people leading on the digital side’ in England.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood added:
“This is a problem that needs sorting and quickly. It is currently wasting time and money, whilst also causing a lot of unnecessary confusion for both patients and NHS staff. As my constituent’s wife said, if it can be sorted in England and Scotland, then why not here?”