Clicks - Regent Road, Seapoint. Vaccinactions

I received an sms notifying me that I was to go to Clicks in Regent Road between 11am and 1pm on Friday 23 July for my second Covid 19 vaccine injection.

I arrived at Clicks at 11.30 - there was no signage at the entrance and no one directing customers arriving for the vaccine, so I proceeded to the prescription counter.

I asked a customer seated in one of the chairs placed in front of the prescription counters where the vaccination station was, and she directed me to one of the counters - which was unmanned. She pointed out the assistant who was chatting to the another employee.

I waited, in full view of this person, who eventually sauntered over and redirected me back to the entrance to complete the required forms. Once I had located this person and completed the forms I was directed to wait in chairs placed just inside the entranceway, where one other person was already waiting.

After waiting in this fashion for about 15 minutes, two more customers for vaccination came in and, not finding the assistant at her post at the door, proceeded to the prescription counter.

After another approximately 15 minutes they came back and advised us both to join the queue at the prescription counter as there did not appear to be any system in place and other customers were in effect jumping the queue whilst we waited by the door as instructed.

At this stage I had been waiting for over an hour and the queue at the prescription area had not moved at all.

With the exception of the pharmacist who was at all times polite and professional, the staff were rude and unhelpful and extremely unprofessional. After a further wait of about 45 minutes, during which time no one was vaccinated, it became known (no one actually informed us of this), that the nurse had left to fetch further vaccine supplies.

After another 45 minutes at least, the nurse reappeared and vaccinations proceeded at a snail's pace.

Without exception all those in the queue who were there for their second vaccination (myself included), complained and commented about the delay, disorganisation, and slow pace of vaccination in comparison with their first experience, at other vaccination sites.

At approximately 1.45pm, as my turn finally came around, the nurse came out and told me that she had to leave to attend a meeting, which could take between 15mins and 1 hour and requested that I wait.

After informing her that I had been waiting since 11.30 and was not prepared to wait for another hour or so, she reluctanctly agreed to vaccinate me whilst the rest of the queue either waited or left and came back later (or not at all). She was clearly very unhappy about the situation.

I am absolutely appalled at this level of ineptitude from one of the country's leading pharmacy groups - I was in a queue for over 2 hours, inside, no toilet (one customer was forced to use the bathroom of the restaurant next door) and very little social distancing. At no stage was any information given about what was happening to cause the unmanageable delays and requests for the managed went without even the curtesy of a reply.

When my husband telephoned the branch, at my request, he was told by a staff member by the name of Melissa that he had been misinformed - there was not problem and only 4 people in the queue - she was unfriendly, unhelpful and also untruthful.

It's a pathetically poor show and unsurprising if many of those who waited in vain fail to return for their vaccinations.