Coronavirus Australia: GP phone lines melt down as national vaccine booking system fails

Greg Hunt urges patience from those waiting to be vaccinated, after the booking website failed to function properly.

The Australian Government COVID Vaccine Clinic Finder website. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Confusion surrounds how eligible patients can book ­appointments at GP clinics to get a COVID-19 vaccine, with a national booking platform failing to operate on the day of its launch and doctors’ surgeries caught off-guard by an overwhelming number of inquiries.

The Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of GPs called for “urgent clarity” in the booking system for COVID-19 vaccinations in a joint statement, saying GP clinics had been inundated with inquiries from patients who they were unable to book in for vaccinations.

Doctors were angry that the government had directed people to a federal government webpage launched on Wednesday and advised they could book in online or by calling GP clinics directly.

The online booking platform was not allowing anyone to book in for vaccinations, and GP clinics were having to tell frustrated patients that they did not know when they would be able to make an ­appointment for a vaccination.

“It’s clear the government needs to make it easy for patients and general practices alike to manage bookings for COVID-19 vaccinations and be clear about how long patients may have to wait before they can get an appointment,” said AMA president Omar Korshid.

RACGP president Karen Price said not enough had been done by the government to communicate with patients about the rollout.

“It’s clear from the calls many general practices have received that the government needs to better communicate with the community on the vaccine rollout process, and not build unrealistic expectations,” Dr Price said. The COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder launched on Wednesday lists GP clinics that will have vaccines available at the beginning of the 1B rollout, which begins on Monday.

The website was supposed to link to GP clinics’ existing online booking systems, but instead patients were told most clinics were taking phone bookings only.

For the minority of practices listed on the vaccine finder that say they allow online bookings via HealthEngine, nobody is actually able to make an online booking.

All patients eligible for vaccines in the 1B rollout who try to make a booking are told “this practice is not accepting online bookings for existing patients”.

Clinics have expressed confusion over Health­Engine’s online booking system, with some saying it didn’t give clinics enough control of appointment times.

Canterbury Plaza Medical Centre in Sydney contacted HealthEngine on Wednesday morning to understand why its ­online booking function was no longer working, saying they were “confused about next steps” and have paused vaccination bookings until there is sufficient clarity.

Caulfield Family Medical Practice in Melbourne disabled its ­online system, saying it “doesn’t allow us to control our booking times”. Similarly, Melbourne’s ­Albert Park Medical Centre complained that the “online booking option had gone up prematurely”.

“It’s all very confusing,” said one spokeswoman. “We don’t have vaccines yet and we aren’t taking any appointments.”

One frustrated receptionist at a Sydney GP surgery said they were not taking any bookings yet despite being listed on the Vaccine Clinic Finder. “We haven’t received any vaccine, and we’re not sure when we will,” they said.

Out of 10 GP clinics listed on the Vaccine Clinic Finder that The Australian contacted, only two were taking any vaccine bookings, and those were not until April.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said he was “surprised” the national online booking platform was not working, and urged those waiting to be vaccinated to be patient.

Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Matray