PATIENTS turned up to their vaccination appointment in Kinmel Bay only to find out they had been cancelled and rescheduled two weeks earlier.

Vaccinations were due to be carried out at Kinmel Bay Community Centre on Friday, April 9 with 69 patients receiving their first vaccination from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).

However BCUHB said the appointments had been cancelled a fortnight ago and the majority of those who had been scheduled to have their vaccination at the community centre had received a new appointment date.

It comes after patients in Wrexham said they had received invites to their first vaccination with BCUHB after the scheduled date, and had therefore missed their appointment.

Richard Martinez, 51, from Kinmel Bay, said he waited outside the community centre for two hours until it was confirmed that his appointment had been rescheduled.

“I arrived early and there was a group of people waiting. A few more people turned up and there was about 20 in total” he said.

“We tried phoning the health board directly but we were cut off.”

Mr Martinez said he was approached by a staff member at the Kinmel Bay Medical Centre who had been in contact with the health board, who said their appointment had already been cancelled.

“Nobody had been contacted us to say the vaccination had been cancelled,” he said.

“How can health board be so relaxed in organising vaccines during a pandemic?”

Mr Martinez, a keyworker for power engineering firm Freedom Group, said he is concerned that he needs to have the jab to remain safe at work.

He said he is also waiting to visit his daughter and newly born granddaughter in Alicante, Spain once restrictions are eased.

“I have lost money as I had to take day off work and I have a granddaughter abroad who I have only seen on a phone screen, and she’s nearly a year old,” he said.

“The health board should stick to their schedule.

"I’m more frustrated that I have not been able to get in contact with anybody to air my grievance.”

The nearby Kinmel Bay Medical Centre took personal information from patients to pass onto the health board so that appointments could be rescheduled.

Practice manager Claire Thomas said: “The health board clinic was supposed to be running today and we have had quite a few calls asking if we knew why there wasn’t anybody there.

“We got in touch with our contacts at health board, who said there was supposed to be a clinic for 69 patients but because it was small it had been rescheduled.

“Some patients not receive their texts and some did within an hour of their appointment.

“The health board has sent someone down, hopefully to put a sign there to let people know.”

BCUHB has carried out a widespread vaccination programme with more than 440,000 doses administered so far.

The health board has begun inviting people aged under 40 for their first jab, with the majority of people in priority groups five to nine already vaccinated.

Gill Harris, BCUHB deputy chief executive and executive director of nursing and midwifery, said: “We’re aware of a small number of patients who have turned up today for a clinic in Kinmel Bay which was cancelled two weeks ago.

“We’re in the process of contacting everyone who turned up individually, some of which have acknowledged that they had received the cancellation notice but misunderstood the instructions.

“All who turned up are being offered a vaccination at an alternative venue today or in the coming days.”