Jumping Vaccine Queue

I agree that vaccine left at the end of the day should be used.
Two friends, one in her 40’s, one in her 60’s got theirs at the hospital as they just happened to be there at the end of the day.

We’re in the north west, my Dad is 92, has a heart condition and takes steroids, but hasn’t been called yet.

A few people have posted that next people on list should be contacted if there's leftover vaccine or someone doesn't turn up. I have worked in a NHS office job, where on occasions I have tried to contact patients on clinic waiting lists to try getting them in at short notice if there has been a last minute cancellation. Youd be amazed how difficult and time consuming it is. Even with mobile numbers, many peoples phones go to answerphone when they are at work. Or people won't answer unrecognised numbers. Elderly people often can't attend at short notice due to transport or mobility problems. Some people will say they will be pleased to come if they can arrange a lift and will phone me back shortly. An hour later they ring and apologise that they are unable to arrange transport. I've had all sorts of reasons/excuses people couldn't come. So I'm all for anyone who is definitely available being offered any spare vaccine.

Exactly Peasblossom! It's all chinese whispers and people who don't know the exact details are all too willing to jump in and tear the story apart, express opinions as facts and thus perpetuate the misunderstanding.

I’m just imagining the scenario.

Hello, we’ve got a spare vaccine at the surgery. Can you get here in the next 10 minutes.

I’m sorry, I don’t have a car. It’ll take me half an hour or so.

I’m afraid you can’t have the vaccine today. We’ll make an appointment for another day.

When will that be?

I’m afraid we don’t know yet. I have to go. I must ring somebody else.

You’re giving my vaccine to somebody else!

Headline.

Pensioner refused vaccine!

Absolutely agree that vaccine should not be wasted and volunteers at the vaccination centre and health workers being given unused doses is absolutely fine. However the 'who you know' examples really don't sit right with me. Surely a back up list of people should be organised for example, teachers & police officers. If people have got time to ring their relatives & pals, then they have got time to ring people on a back up list.

Alison There are mobile units going to remote locations, though I doubt West Suffolk counts.

If you can’t get to your GP a health visitor or similar will come to you. Obviously house visits are going to take longer and mean a wait. You can only fit in a limited number each day.

Please read the Government published Plan fir COVID-19 Vaccination. It explains it all very clearly.

Seems there are people in rural locations like mine who are receiving information and actual vaccination. I am 83 and have heard absolutely nothing locally (West Suffolk) I am wondering how I am supposed to get to the vaccination centres as I no longer drive and have very poor mobility because of arthritis.

Helen2806
???

There are many appointments that are not being attended. It a scandalous waste of time, money and resources- better to use (all of those) than lose

This thread makes me want to cry. I have two daughters who are health visitors. Their work load has been horrendous during this crisis yet they are both volunteering to work overtime as vaccinators. The youngest one was offered a left over vaccine at the end of a working day. When she went to get it the person in front of her, who had driven for an hour was refused due to some sort of admin error they hadn’t been booked in. My daughter offered her vaccine to this person , who gratefully took her up on this. My daughter did manage to get hers later on. I was very proud of her.
Come on folks, let’s show some basic humanity here. I can’t believe you are even thinking about reporting hard working NHS staff. Did you stand and clap for them last year .
Shame on you ???

My son’s partner had hers Saturday, it seems that most people elect for appointments in the middle of the day and avoid Sundays so his tip to me was go early or late and Sunday might avoid the queues. The wait was 1.5 hours, it was very cold. Before anyone complains she is frontline NHS. Hope this information helps.

Better used than wasted as it would have been. It is a precious commodity...

I wonder if it would be better to organise a running list of people willing to come at a moments notice?
Shouldn't be that hard to do by text.

This is happening in my area and I have been in touch with the CCG. They cant use the excuse the that it is Vaccine left over as in my area people are booked in a week in advance. My Mother & Father are both 83 & 82 (both vulnerable) and have not heard anything about their vaccine yet my Mothers friend & husband both in their 70's (not vulnerable) were booked in last week to have their vaccine this week...its not on!! Government guidelines were... apart from NHS workers, Nursing Home Staff, that it was done in age order & vulnerbility. CCG are now investigating the situation.

I know this isn’t related to what you have posted but it sticks in my throat that I read that Pru Leith said she would prefer her vaccine to go to someone younger
A week later there’s a photo of her having it

My GP rang me to offer me the vaccine because 22 people had not turned up. I said yes and had just 5 minutes in which to get there. I think they knew that at 71, with Atrial Fibrillation, I was at risk, and that older people were not so mobile, perhaps would be slow moving, and would have to arrange transport. I was glad to have it of course, but also glad that the vaccine wasn't wasted.
When I got there they told me that as it was the Pfizer it couldn't go back into minus 70 degrees and would have had to be thrown away. With the other ones they could have just gone back into the normal fridge. They had been frantically ringing around trying to find people to come. So none was wasted in the end.

My tip is to have your NHS number stored in your phone or purse, then if you are offered an impromptu vaccine, the process is much smoother. Obviously your own GP practice has this number. They are ringing patients to offer extra vaccines. The vaccine centres won’t have your NHS no. We have a huge vaccine centre locally. If it has extras, they just go onto the street and invite people in.
They way I see it is that the more who have it, the merrier. Every vaccine confers immunity for the community!

Has OP a suggestion as to what should have been done with spare vaccine at the end of the day?

Tory nepotism!!! Report the doctor!!! What utter codswallop! This is one (among thousands) overworked, dedicate professional health care worker who didn't like to see waste. How do you know she didn't ring round first? How do you know how many refusals she may have had. Stop being so judgemental. None of us know the true circumstances. Just be grateful we still have enough medical staff to administer the vaccine. We'll all get there in the end.

Yep you are

Yes just tell her that that ' you & yours' will be happy to turn up next time she has leftover vaccine, so can she ring you.

There is no way of replying to the text appointments so if you are not going to turn up for the appointment it will not be known until the appointment time.

That leaves very little notice to find others to accept the left over vaccines.

It would be just awful to waste any excess vaccine. I don't think it matters too much who gets it, as long as it's used, it reduces the waiting time for others, the strain on the NHS - so benefits us all.

What did annoy me recently was the attitude of a relative. She pays to go private with health concerns (always trivial) and was most put out when she found out that she can't pay to jump the queue!

It's not jumping the queue, its using something that would otherwise have been wasted. I think its criminal to waste this vaccine in any way until everyone who wants one has been vaccinated.
Its no different to food- there are plenty of people who are going hungry but that's no reason for supermarkets not to give food waste to the Salvation Army and other organisations.

Peasblossom. Thank you for bringing attention to the incredible work load being undertaken by all the staff in GP Surgeries in order to organise what you could call Operation Vaccine. The sheer logistics are like planning a military operation with so much detail involved. They are also dealing with the normal daily workload of a Medical Practice. Some staff have already been working upto 12 hours daily on the planning and preparation for the implementation of the vaccination programme. It is a very much more complicated process than arranging the annual flu vaccinations. Please resist complaining and let us be glad that vaccines have been created.
Let us not underestimate that the programme of mass Vaccinatiion is a mammoth task to undertake that will take weeks to complete. Meantime let us all follow the rules/guidelines since we are dependant on each other in the attempt to reduce the rising infection rates of this awful illness.