Council accuses school staff of ‘jumping the vaccine queue’
Investigation launched amid warnings that abusing system may harm ‘most vulnerable residents’
School staff have been caught trying to jump the queue for Covid-19 vaccinations by booking appointments intended for front-line workers, according to local councillors in northwest England.
Rochdale Borough Council has written to local headteachers accusing some staff of trying to get jabs via an “inappropriately shared” email invitation with a booking link intended for use by NHS staff only, Manchester-based paper The Mill reports.
The council’s director of children’s services, Gail Hopper, told school heads that abusing the system could result in “our most vulnerable residents being delayed in receiving it”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“The publicity of this happening would be very damaging for the borough,” she added in the emailed rebuke.
According to The Mill, the booking link is believed to have originated from the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA), which has launched an investigation.
Similar allegations of attempted queue jumping for jabs have been reported by other local authorities across the UK.
Council leaders in Denbighshire in northeast Wales are investigating claims that their own staff shared invitations for Covid vaccinations in order to get priority spots. It was “not immediately clear whether anyone had been able to benefit from the ruse”, the BBC reports.
But the council’s chief executive, Judith Greenhalgh, said that “anyone found to have acted against our code of conduct will be dealt with appropriately”.
Young people in North Yorkshire who work from home have also been accused of booking vaccinations ahead of the most at-risk groups.
Doctors and patients in the Richmondshire area were “stunned” to see people in their 20s attending a local clinic for vaccines, ITV reports.
NHS whistle-blowers told the broadcaster that the young people turning up to get jabs at the Leyburn clinic were Care Quality Commission (CQC) staff who are usually based at offices in Middlesbrough, about 40 miles away.
“CQC staff have been able to book slots, despite working from home, being healthy and not at risk,” said one of the unnamed whistle-blowers.
“It's hard to agree that healthy people in their third decade should be given a shot ahead of those in their eighth decade.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 16, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - pointed commentary, Haiti in trouble, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the RNC's MAGA takeover
Cartoons Artists take on RNC funding, Lara Trump, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Trump's presidential run: a bad bet for Republicans?
Talking Point The GOP is taking a 'big gamble' on former president's 2024 White House bid
By The Week UK Published
-
Excess screen time is making children only see what is in front of them
Under the radar The future is looking blurry. And very nearsighted.
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Has the international pandemic treaty lost its way?
Under The Radar 'Wrangling and disinformation' mean plans for a global preparedness agreement are close to crumbling
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Covid-19: what to know about UK's new Juno and Pirola variants
in depth Rapidly spreading new JN.1 strain is 'yet another reminder that the pandemic is far from over'
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Long-term respiratory illness is here to stay
The Explainer Covid is not the only disease with a long version
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'100 day' whooping cough: what to know about surge in cases
Under the radar Pregnant women and children urged to get vaccinated after cases increase by 250%
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Covid inquiry: the most important questions for Boris Johnson
Talking Point Former PM has faced weeks of heavy criticism from former colleagues at the public hearing
By The Week Staff Published
-
China's pneumonia cases: should we be worried?
The Explainer Experts warn against pushing 'pandemic panic button' following outbreak of respiratory illness
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published