A patient has complained about a lack of seating for the elderly waiting for flu and Covid jabs at a health centre in Oxford.

Ruth Wilkinson, a patient at East Oxford Health Centre (EOHC) in Manzil Way, said there was an "organisational problem" with the latest round of flu and Covid vaccinations.

Ms Wilkinson, who lives in Oxford, said patients were made to wait more than an hour over their appointment times on Saturday.

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She added in a letter to the Oxford Mail: "On Saturday, the waiting time for those who had booked Covid jabs at the health centre in Manzil Way was well over an hour after their appointment time.

"Frail elderly people, including a goodly number with mobility aids, were queuing up the steps to the centre and there was nowhere for them to rest.

"The scene inside the centre was similarly fraught with people milling about and seemingly no staff to ask for assistance. There appeared to be no seats available inside the foyer."

Ms Wilkinson said folding chairs would not have helped some elderly patients queuing on steps.

(Image: Oxford Mail) She added: "Others in the queue shared experiences of waiting three hours and two hours respectively at pharmacies for booked vaccinations.

"I’m afraid that several folk I spoke to just had to go home again, because the wait was more than they could manage.

"I hate to be put down as a 'did not attend', but my husband’s condition is such that he cannot stand for that amount of time, and we too fought the traffic to go back home.

"We appreciate the dedication of those trying to operate these clinics, but there seems to be a mismatch between the number of patient bookings, and the number of health staff available to administer them."

In June 2021, anti-vaccine activists hounded people queuing outside the centre in an attempt to convince them not to go ahead with immunisation.

As the queue snaked down the health centre ramp, along either side of the access road and in a lengthy zig-zag across Manzil Way Park to Cowley Road, anti-vax activists handed out leaflets in an attempt to discourage participants.

After a number of complaints, EOHC practice manager Ivan More-O'Ferrell reminded the activists of the need to wear masks and maintain social distancing when approaching people in the queue.

(Image: Oxford Mail) Jane Herman visiting from the United States last month gave the health centre a five star review.

She wrote: "While visiting Oxford on vacation from New York City, I was felled by a bad stomach virus.

"Not only was my sister able to get me an appointment on a bank holiday, but I received medication and, perhaps more importantly, reassurance that although I was miserable, nothing was seriously amiss."

Another anonymous reviewer only gave one-star-out-of-five, claiming to have encountered "the rudest doctor ever".

The health centre in Manzil Way has been contacted for comment.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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