Today I received a response from NHS Grampian about the hiccups in notifying residents about their appointments for flu jabs. I had contacted the chief executive on 8 October after a number of people asked me when they would get a letter.

Here is what Professor Amanda Croft had to say:

“Thank you for taking the time to draw my attention to the concerns of North Kincardine residents regarding the organisation of the 2020 seasonal flu clinics. I can understand why this may have caused anxiety.

“National changes to the Scottish Immunisation Recall System (SIRS) which administers patient appointments meant NHS Grampian had to change plans to utilise this system and instead identify eligible patients from local GP systems, which requires permission from individual GP practices. Once we had the information required, letters were sent via NHS Grampian’s mail room. However, due to the volume of mail it was unable to be franked in the required time. We have since moved to an alternative system working with Royal Mail which tries to guarantee next day delivery and continue to work hard to rectify any outstanding issues as swiftly as possible.

“The majority of Kincardine will receive their vaccination during the October school holidays in Mackie, Portlethen and Mearns Academies, with local clinics scheduled in the weeks that follow. Flu Helpline staff have been helping fill these clinics along with answering calls. We have been extremely busy and are trying our best to support patients. As ever, we appreciate your patience and understanding at this challenging time.

“I hope this information is helpful to yourself and your constituents.”

Those of us who received notification in time have found (without exception as far as I can tell) the process to be straight-forward and well organised.

It is unfortunate that some letters arrived after the due date and that the Helpline was overwhelmed.