The NHS Highland vaccination booking system will be “urgently” reviewed following a series of complaints.
The health board has apologised for the challenges getting through on the phone to the Vaccination Hub and said improvements will be made.
Appointments for the flu and Covid vaccine were previously advertised on social media, but several members of the public found themselves unable to book.
People took to social media to share their frustrations around long waiting times and the failure to have their calls answered.
One woman wrote: “I have just sat on the phone for the last 30 mins, went from number 18 in queue to number two… to be promptly cut off.
“Phone back to find now number 30. No point in having this line, no help whatsoever.”
Another said: “My husband tried 18 times today, each time in a queue from number 60 odd. He spent over three hours wasted listening to same recorded message.”
A man wrote: “Even after ‘ambushing’ the call centre at 9.30am on the dot, I still had to wait 40 minutes to get someone to speak to me.
“This current method is an utter shambles.”
‘A smoother process for all’
A spokeswoman for NHS Highland said: “We are very sorry for the challenges some people are having in getting through to our Vaccination Hub and for the frustration and anxiety that this will have caused.
“We are taking steps to urgently review and improve our telephone line recognising the high volume of calls received and some of the challenges people have had using it, this will include bringing in extra members of staff to respond to the demand.
“Going forward the majority of patients will be invited by letter to attend the clinics which we expect to result in a smoother process for all involved.”
The Vaccination Hub is open to patients with questions about drop-in clinics or alternative appointment arrangements.
NHS Highland is currently vaccinating care home residents and health and social care staff with Covid boosters.
All others eligible for the booster will receive an appointment letter from next month and are advised to wait for a letter before getting in touch.
An ‘extensive’ vaccine programme
NHS Highland’s chief executive, Pam Dudek, told The Herald that they are also working to add clinics in more locations across the Highlands.
Further, everyone who is eligible will get their vaccine and are asked to be patient while the “extensive” programme is rolled out.
She said: “Our vaccination programme will run into January, with vulnerable groups being prioritised.
“We are working to a tight timescale with more vaccinations that need to be delivered than our previous programme, so the conditions are very different.
“GPs are not obliged to provide vaccination and do so contractually based on their own set of circumstances and workloads, so this does make for a variable programme of delivery.
“We absolutely need this blended approach to ensure that we, along with our general practice colleagues, are able to cover the breadth of health and care requirements alongside the vaccination programme.
“We understand how confusing this can be for people and are taking measures to try to ensure our messages are clear and tailored to your local area.”