Covid vaccine centre in Gravesend sees long queues outside The Woodville
15:11, 17 March 2021
updated: 13:00, 18 March 2021
Long queues snaked around the entrance to a mass Covid vaccination centre as vulnerable patients had to wait for hours outside.
Delays at the Gravesend centre located at The Woodville earlier this week has led to problems with up to two-and-a-half hour waiting times.
Security staff were on hand to manage the queues and ensure social distancing was observed but it has called into question issues for patients with health issues who had appointments booked.
Julie Cherry's husband, who has recently suffered a stroke, was booked in on Monday afternoon and was told about the waiting time when he arrived for his allotted slot at midday.
Mrs Cherry, of Allhallows, said her husband's physical health following the stroke meant he was unable to queue for that long and was advised to come back later in the day.
But when they returned at 4pm, Mrs Cherry said queues were even longer and so they turned around and went home with her husband not having had his vaccine.
"It’s a disaster," she said. "A friend of mine waited and said when you get inside the queue continued right up the building and back.
"Hundreds were queuing for up to two-and-a-half hours, mostly vulnerable, to get their vaccination.
"I thought this was a pandemic, why is this allowed?"
He has since rebooked for a new vaccine slot at their GP surgery in Cliffe Woods.
The NHS is urging patients to attend on time for their vaccine appointments and not to arrive any earlier than their allotted time slot.
KentOnline understands the issues have been caused by increased capacity at The Woodville from Monday leading to more people arriving for their vaccines.
It is the first reported incident of long queues at the Gravesend centre but in the opening days of the first mass centre in Folkestone, crowds were pictured outside the former Debenhams building.
All the mass vaccine hubs in Kent and Medway are run by the Kent Community Health Foundation NHS Trust (KCHFT).
Chief executive Paul Bentley said at the opening of the Woodville last month that the organisation had taken on board lessons from the queues seen at Folkestone.
Asked about queues at The Woodville this week, Mr Bentley said: "On Monday, in line with the national ramp up of the Covid-19 vaccination programme across the country, we delivered the highest levels of vaccinations we have ever delivered in each of our five large-scale vaccination centres.
“And this week, KCHFT vaccinated and protected our 100,000th person across our five vaccinations centre in Kent and Medway – this vaccination took place at Folca, in Folkestone, the first site we launched.
“We would like to apologise to anyone who experienced a long wait at The Woodville in Gravesend. We have worked hard to tackle the queues and we would like to thank everyone for their patience.”
