21 December 2021
Following the announcement of the acceleration of booster jabs, DHCW has supported health boards to set up 1 million extra COVID-19 vaccine appointments by the end of December.
The Welsh Immunisation System (WIS) - designed and managed by DHCW – is providing system generated appointments (SGAs) to create short notice slots and ensure appointments are filled as efficiently as possible.
It is reported that the number of SGAs requested by health boards has tripled this week following the announcement of the booster campaign by the UK Government on 12th December.
An upgrade to WIS last month included two-way texting for vaccine appointments, allowing people to respond to invitations via text, to cancel or reschedule. This has helped to reduce the number of people missing appointments and additional phone calls to health board booking offices.
WIS is the information system behind the scheduling, invitations and recording of COVID-19 vaccinations for the population of Wales. It ensures that individuals are allocated vaccinations in the correct order and locations. It centrally manages appointment letters and texts.