A while back now – in COVID time – a month ago this appeared.
Why online booking systems for COVID-19 vaccines can go wrong
Some patients will try every trick in the book to jump the vaccine queues
17th February 2021
When the Federal Government announced patients could arrange their COVID-19 vaccinations through a computerised national booking system it was developing, many GPs rightly looked at its IT track record and started to sweat.
The government has since ‘clarified’ — or backtracked, depending on your level of suspicion — that this won’t be a booking system per se, but simply a list of GP practices and pharmacies where people can access vaccines.
The list will include weblinks and phone numbers for these providers, and patients will need to complete the actual booking themselves.
Given potential mishaps of government-run IT, it is probably a lucky escape for Australia.
However, as with countless other coronavirus-related endeavours, we can look to the UK and find examples of what not to do.
Lots more here:
https://www.ausdoc.com.au/practice/why-online-booking-systems-covid19-vaccines-can-go-wrong
By about a week ago we saw the following report.
Coronavirus Australia: Online vaccine booking website’s day one fail
Australian Government COVID Vaccine Clinic Finder website. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
The Federal government’s online booking website for COVID-19 vaccines is not functioning on the day of its launch, with frustrated patients unable to book online for a jab at GP clinics.
The COVID-19 national booking service lists GP clinics that will have vaccines available at the beginning of the 1B rollout, which begins on Monday.
However,
most of the GP clinics that are listed on the national booking service, which
is very difficult to find on the Federal health department’s website, say they
are taking phone bookings only.
For the minority of practices that say they allow online bookings via the
national booking service website, nobody is actually able to make an online
booking.
The national booking service website connects to the HealthEngine booking system site, but all patients eligible for vaccines in the 1B rollout who try to make a booking are met with the message ‘this practice is not accepting online bookings for existing patients’.
GP surgeries have been left to field calls from confused patients. One participating GP surgery contacted by The Australian said the booking system “was not up yet”, despite being launched today.
Lots more here:
And this led to this:
Receptionists 'hammered' as booking system for COVID-19 vaccinations goes live
The government's online directory is apparently failing to redirect patients to their GP's normal appointment system
17th March 2021
The first 1000 GP practices offering COVID-19 vaccinations have started to line up appointments despite major glitches with the Federal Government's national booking system.
The online directory went live today and is meant to allow patients from anywhere in the country to search for clinics by postcode and book an appointment.
But for hundreds of practices, the website does not include direct links to their own online booking systems, with patients having to telephone them directly.
HotDoc, the country's biggest patient booking system, says it was told the directory would not be live until next Monday.
As a result it has yet to turn on its COVID-19 vaccination booking function for the practices using its system.
Dr Bruce Willett, chair of the RACGP Queensland faculty, is one of those affected.
“The receptionists have really been hammered this morning,” the Brisbane GP sail.
https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/receptionists-hammered-booking-system-covid19-vaccinations-goes-live
But despite evidence to the opposite the Federal Health Minister (Mr Hunt) seemed relaxed!
No apology from Hunt for COVID-19 vaccine booking chaos
The Minister for Health says there was 'always going to be' a deluge of calls on day one
18th March 2021
Minister for Health Greg Hunt is not apologising after GP practices were bombarded with thousands of angry calls from patients following the botched rollout of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 vax booking system.
GPs say they had no clue that the online directory was going live yesterday listing the contact details of 1000 practices tasked with administering the AstraZeneca vaccine next week.
Some 190,000 people across Australia subsequently attempt to book a consult through the site.
However, most practices were listed as accepting bookings by telephone only, despite the practices being told the site would redirect patients to their own online booking systems.
As a result, GPs say their receptionists were “hammered” by calls from thousands of patients they could not help.
This morning on ABC radio, Mr Hunt was asked whether practices were owed an apology.
“I think they deserve our thanks,” he responded.
More here:
https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/no-apology-hunt-covid19-vaccine-booking-chaos
It also turns out it has been less than easy to check eligibility for a shot:
Some alarm bells in the COVID vaccination rollout: it shouldn’t be this hard to book an appointment
By Holly Seale
March 19, 2021 — 12.00am
Among friends and family it is well known that I do not cook. Or, on the odd occasion I do, I stick strictly to the recipe. Recipes are like scientific formulas. They keep the equilibrium (aka balance), whether in the pot or the test tube.
Tried and somewhat tested formulas are being used with the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Australia. Come Monday, we are moving into the next stage of the phased program and encouraging adults aged 70 and over, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over 55, and adults with specific medical conditions to get vaccinated. We are also extending the program to more health and critical workers.
Lots more here:
(Note the direct link to the checker is: https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/eligibility if you need it!)
Then things changed a little:
Govt backflips on booking priority for vaccine
The Department of Health has softened its approach to practices just days before the GP COVID vaccine rollout, with officials saying primary care will be the master of its own bookings.
The advice comes as a noticeable change from instructions earlier this month, which directed practices to withdraw from phase 1b if they were unwilling to vaccinate people outside their patient cohort.
In the original announcement from the DoH, practices were told they wouldn’t be able to turn away other patients or withhold appointments to primarily vaccinate their existing patients.
But the narrative shifted in a webinar for GPs hosted this week by the department, with practices being complimented by senior department officials for knowing their patient cohorts “better than anyone else”.
“Practices are in absolute and total control of bookings, appointments, when they schedule them and how they schedule them,” Dr Lucas de Toca, acting first assistant secretary for the Primary Care Response to COVID-19, said.
“Practices do not have to segment or protect appointments for non-regular clients.”
There
remains a general recommendation that practices cannot turn back non-regular
clients if they have available appointments.
More here:
https://medicalrepublic.com.au/govt-backflips-on-booking-priority-for-vaccine/42130
So
right now as I type – on Sunday – we are awaiting what happens next. I know it is not easy to bring vaccine dose, vaccinator, vaccine recipient, location and appointment together but we are making a bit of a meal of it right now!
Will appointments be made ready for Monday?
Will vaccine doses be in the right places at the right time in the right quantities and so on?
Thus far you would not bet on it…..
Wednesday
Update: As far as I can tell things are slowly improving but are being messed about in the Eastern States by the flooding which are still to resolve!
David.
No comments:
Post a Comment