AN INVESTIGATION has been launched following claims that Denbighshire Council staff had received Covid vaccinations, despite being ineligible.

It was alleged this week some council staff, not within the first two cohorts due the vaccination, managed to book appointments by following a link in an email only intended for the recipient.

Denbighshire council said it had warned staff the emails were not to be abused, although it’s not clear whether anyone not entitled succeeded in getting a Covid jab.

An investigation has now been launched and is being led by Judith Greenhalgh, chief executive of Denbighshire County Council.

A statement, on behalf of Denbighshire County Council’s Cabinet, said: "You will be aware of press stories over the weekend which stated that Denbighshire Council staff had been able to receive Covid vaccinations in spite of being ineligible. To the best of our knowledge this has not happened, but Cabinet has instructed the chief executive, Judith Greenhalgh, to launch an internal investigation to confirm this.

"Since we found that the regional system was potentially open to abuse we instructed DCC staff that the invitation to be vaccinated should not be shared, and that the consequences of doing so would be subject to disciplinary action.

"The health board had been provided with a list of eligible staff and our understanding is that nobody has been able to use this system to receive the vaccination who is not eligible to receive one.

"We know that our staff have been working above and beyond to keep residents of Denbighshire safe during the pandemic and we are confident that the overwhelming majority of them have not - and would not - abuse the system.

"Meanwhile we continue to work with partners across the region to ensure that people are vaccinated in the order of prioritisation that is in place across the country."

Only frontline social care and health workers, those over 80 years old, care home residents and their carers are currently being vaccinated.

Independent member Jackie Hughes brought the matter up at Thursday’s monthly health board meeting.

Answering her query, executive director of primary care and community services, Dr Chris Stockport, said: “We are very clear with our local authority partners and teams of what frontline means in the same way we are elsewhere.

“When you arrive (for a vaccine) there’s a process of validation. The likelihood is they will experience some difficulties working through the booking system (if they try to get into a higher vaccination cohort).

“It adds complications for a busy team and I would ask them not to do that when it’s a clear effort to circumvent the cohort.”

Mark Polin, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) chairman, said: “Whilst we understand the concerns people should not be doing what they are doing.

“The priority groups have been identified with clear medical guidance and sound reasoning behind it.

“So people jumping the queue are depriving someone else, potentially, of receiving the vaccine at the point at which they should.

“This is a temporary problem because we are changing the booking system, so this opportunity is not going to last much longer.

“I know having visited our mass vaccination centre on Deeside our staff are looking out for any inappropriate bookings by staff from any organisation.”

Dr Stockport added: “Many of these people are entitled to be in cohort two – but they should use the correct booking system.”

Ms Greenhalgh confirmed to Jez Hemming, local democracy reporter, there would be an investigation.

She added: “The council’s investigation will be thorough and anyone found to have acted against our code of conduct will be dealt with appropriately.  To date there is no evidence that anyone has.”