GPs in Powys say they have been "overwhelmed" by demand for flu vaccinations this winter and fear that not everyone who wants a vaccination will get one.

Doctors in the county fear that the volume of demand for the jab this year will be difficult to meet, because of the availability of the drug, the Welsh Government's offer of vaccinations for more people, and the longer appointment times required for each patient because of Covid-19 measures.

Each year the Chief Medical Officer identifies the priority groups for vaccination – the over 65s, those with certain long-term health conditions and children.

In response, GP practices in Powys plan an operation to deliver flu vaccinations to vulnerable patients, a process that begins in January for the following order, and which involves ordering vaccines based on the number of people who requested it in the previous year.

This year's orders were placed in January, before the coronavirus pandemic reached Britain.

Dr Peter Horvath-Howard, Medical Director at Dyfed Powys Local Medical Committee said: "GPs and their teams have gone above and beyond to support patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to support them as we face dramatically increased referral times for hospital treatment and backlogs across NHS services due to the impact of the virus.

"GPs and their staff are working incredibly hard to rapidly embrace new ways of working to ensure both patients and the workforce are protected. GP practices have, however, limited resources to meet additional demand, while continuing to deliver routine consultations for their patients."

The statement from the committee also warned that GPs were being "overwhelmed" with demand for the vaccine.

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The Welsh Government, for its part, has said that additional supplies have been ordered to meet demand, but local medics remain concerned that they do not have the manpower to meet extra demand while having the spend more time on each patient because of the Covid requirements.

As part of the preparation for this year’s campaign, GP practices were required to consider how they would deliver vaccinations to patients while addressing the additional complications associated with the need for social distancing, the wearing of protective equipment and the availability of sufficient staff.

As a result, each vaccination will take longer to deliver, and fewer patients will be seen at each flu clinic.

Taken together this has led to what GPs have described as a 'perfect storm' of more eligible patients than normal requesting a vaccination, an insufficient supply of vaccine due to the increased demand not being anticipated at the time of ordering and a shortfall in the number of staff in GP practices required to safely deliver the additional vaccinations.

In response to the concerns of Powys GPs, the Welsh Government has sought to reassure everyone in the priority groups that they will receive the vaccine as additional supplies have been ordered, although some patients might have to wait.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “In July we announced Wales’s largest ever flu vaccine programme which will see more people than ever benefit from the free vaccination. The delivery of flu vaccines is phased over the autumn with priority given to those who are most at risk.

"As a result of high demand, some patients may be asked to wait until further deliveries are received by their GP practice or pharmacy. Additional supplies of the vaccine have been procured to ensure there will be enough for everyone in the priority groups who wants one.”