Covid vaccine patients turned away from Kassam Stadium, Oxford

Some social care professionals, including early years teaching staff, who were offered jab appointments at the stadium - the home of Oxford United - have been turned away after being told there is no vaccine for them.

While no one on the vaccine team nor at the Kassam Stadium has been blamed for the booking mix-up, those turned away have expressed their frustration. 

One early years teacher at a north Oxford pre-school slammed the system as a "chaotic shambles" after being turned away by a steward at the centre being run by Oxford Health NHS Trust on Saturday evening.

A member of staff at the centre said "at least 200 people" had also been turned away on Saturday alone many having driven long distances from around Oxfordshire.

He said the mix-up involved those who had been classed as social care workers, saying some should not have been offered appointments in the first place.

Read more: Which areas of county have had no cases of coronavirus?

While stressing that no one at the vaccination centre was to blame, and thanking staff at the Kassam for their efforts, the teacher criticised the booking mix-up which saw people make unnecessary trips.

She said: "I am so angry. They have given people false hope and wasted our time. They had our contact details but made no attempt to let us know, which is a basic courtesy. They would rather sit back, let hundreds of people turn up and turn them away in the car park.

"Early year providers are working throughout the pandemic and are struggling at high risk without the financial support to buy appropriate PPE and sanitising products.

"Pre-schools have been open since September and we are all worried and anxious. Mistakes like this should not happen.
"The lack of respect for the early years sector is unforgivable. And we haven't been given any indication of when we can actually get our jabs."

A vaccine being administered at the Kassam Stadium

Nursery worker Karen Ratcliff, 62 from Wantage was also turned away.

She booked on Friday for a slot this morning, after her employer told workers that they could book their appointments.

However, when she arrived, she was stopped at the door, quizzed over where she worked, and told she was not eligible because she worked at a day nursery and was not on the list.

A colleague, however, did receive the jab on Saturday before others were turned away.

She said the situation had been likened to "a postcode lottery" with only some areas vaccinating nursery workers.

She said: “Girls have had their holidays cancelled, they book a week off at home and then have to come in. We look after all these kids. It is really upsetting, I usually work part-time but I have been working full-time. I am 62 I do not want to be working full-time anymore. It is exhausting.

“I feel very let down. I am putting myself out there. We are all working very hard and this is a bit like a slap in the face.”

Confusion appears to have originated in a list posted on the National Careers Service website which included early years providers, including nursery staff and childminders, as social care workers who were included in this phase of the roll out. They were then offered appointments for jabs.

Oxfordshire County Council confirmed early years staff should not yet have been offered jabs.

The professional membership association for nursery workers, the Early Years Alliance, said in a statement: "We are aware that a number of early years providers and their staff have been able to book appointments for coronavirus vaccines after the online booking system was opened up to social care workers for self-referral this week. However, we also know that some early years providers have been turned away at centres and from the 119 booking system.

“There has been no change to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) position on prioritisation for the vaccine and the roll-out is still progressing through its first phase priority groups.

"That said, we know that some providers may find that their local authorities have been able to offer vaccines to key workers where local availability allows.

“We continue to make the case for Covid-19 vaccines to be made available to all early years providers across the country, once the most vulnerable have received their vaccine, and are calling for clear and official guidance to avoid any ambiguity on this. Vaccinations for early years providers must be offered on a national basis and providers should not have to contend with a post-code lottery for access to the protection they deserve as they carry out their vital roles.”

Priority frontline medical and care staff, including those working in the community, have already been given their vaccinations.

Read again: Kassam Stadium becomes vaccine super-hub

The National Careers Service said its site was not intended to be used for prioritising staff for vaccines. In a statement, it said: "The National Careers Service allows people to explore career choices and opportunities, broadening their career horizons. The National Careers Service does not serve to present a strict classification of professional groupings and should be not used to prioritise staff for Covid-19 vaccines."

A spokesperson for Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “We continue to vaccinate people in priority cohorts set by the JCVI, and local authorities are identifying eligible social care staff.

"People who booked in error are rightly asked to wait their turn so that we can prioritise those eligible for vaccination at this time, including older residents and those who are clinically vulnerable. We are carrying out ID checks at the Vaccination Centre to ensure only those who are currently eligible are vaccinated.”

• Have you been turned away from an Oxfordshire vaccine centre after being given an appointment - or are you an early years professional who has had your jab? Please contact news@nqo.com