MRex makes a good point, that by getting most people through the larger centres, they can deliver the jab much faster, than only offering lots of small, local centres, plus the fact that the dual system running means those who really can’t travel still get done more locally at some point, without slowing the whole system.
Most people can find a way to get to a centre offered in the national system if they look 2 or 3 times and find those offered change a bit. It requires a bit more planning and arranging with work or sorting lifts or arranging childcare for some people more than others. There will always be some who simply won’t be able to travel at all (not quite the same as preferring not to or not being willing to do anything to enable the journey) and the system is designed for those people too...no-one is left out, because more local centres will follow up those who haven’t been jabbed and drop in centres and vaccine buses do sessions to help those who haven’t been jabbed for whatever reason.
I guess the thing that is simply unavoidable, is that in most cases, if you want it local or can’t or won’t take the appointments that are available to you via the national booking system, you simply do usually have to wait a bit longer. It might be a few days or it could be a week or several weeks. But everyone will get it. To me, this seems a sensible system and the only viable one. It’s not possible to run the umpteen tiny clinics that would be needed for the whole thing to be locally based, due to staffing required when GPs already have to do their usual work, plus supply for first jabs is limited meaning those clinics would be even smaller and inefficient and slower. The way to get the speed and volume is for the vast majority to go to the bigger centres. It would be a problem if that was all that was available for a number of people, but the logistical organisers spotted that issue and ensured it isn’t by having a dual system and small numbers of local clinics for those who haven’t accessed the ones that requires some travel.
Some of this comes down to priorities as well. Usually when people are extremely keen for the jab...the ones who are watching out for the age to drop down etc, they make the journey happen. Because they really want it urgently, they find ways around whatever obstacles they might face...obviously to a point. People who wait for local often aren’t quite so desperate to be done, which is fine, because the system can’t cope with everyone trying to be done in the first day anyway. Lots of people won’t try to book until they get a personal invitation or even a phone call. When they see there’s a journey involved, they would rather wait as they feel avoiding the journey is more important than being jabbed a week or two sooner. People just prioritise differently. The system allows for both and everyone to get done at some point, often within a fairly small window of different timings.
So when people get cross about the slots being offered to them, I’d just remind everyone again, that if you don’t take what’s offered, you will get offered something more local at some point. No-one is excluded. No-one is denied the jab because the distance makes it expensive for them or disabilities stop them travelling. Firstly, are in place to help people with the journey via volunteers if they prefer to be jabbed sooner, and secondly, if they choose not access those things, the jab will one to them closer to home via a more local centre within a fairly short period of time. But it won’t come instantly in most cases, because the very nature of needing most people to go to the larger centres means the system needs to wait and see exactly who won’t go to those, before offering the very limited local slots. The very nature of the limited amount means they can’t just be offered straight off as. Anew rollout happens, becauese it wouldn’t be possible to see who couldn’t travel and who really needs the local slot and who will travel.
Everyone is catered for. When you look at how it works, I think it’s amazing and I continue to be impressed by how the way it’s organised has enabled the huge take up and despite people sometimes feeling a bit of short term frustration at the rollout gettingto their age group, or them managing to book their slot, very very quickly, everyone who wants to be jabbed in a group is done. It’s a massive success and we need to see that against the fact that an individual might face a choice to travel 40 miles or instead wait a further 2 weeks for the local appointment which will certainly arrive. No one needs to be left behind because of any reason.