Jumping Vaccine Queue

Surely it’s completely different for volunteers being given the jab. They should be given it as a matter of course

I must admit that I wondered about the no shows!
In any system that runs on appointments , there can be up to 60% of people not turning up whether it's doctors appointments, hospital appointments , opticians etc.
Reckon people should be informed that if they don't turn up for appointments, they will be charged. For legitimate reasons, there is such a thing as the telephone !
Apart from that, better the vaccine was used and would probably guess the DiL had already done the ringaround

Hope the GP concerned doesn’t publicise her actions- seems a tad unethical to me

Inevitably a range of views on this. Of course it’s not ideal and in the perfect world is could have gone into a more needy arm, but hey, better that than wasted and everyone who has the jab is protecting the rest of us. Glad they could use it.

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable at all. There would have been far more people in the vulnerable group who could have rushed down to the surgery if she’d just bothered to pick the phone up.
The perks of being a GP. I personally find it appalling.

We had ours on Saturday for the same reason Mary62. Our daughter who is a practice nurse rang us at lunchtime and said we could go into her surgery and have the vaccine. Apparently they had had a lot of DNA’s and had also been allocated too many doses for that day anyway. They were frantically ringing round to vulnerable or age eligible patients but couldn’t fill the slots. She asked if we could be considered as both over 70 and the GP’s were more than happy. In fact the doctor who gave us the shot thanked us for coming in - I thought it should have been the other way round. As suspected, we have had the Pfizer vaccine which would have been wasted by the end of the day. We have another appointment in three months. If we’re called up by our own GP it’s one less for them to do.

No point in getting upset - if the vaccine was left at the end of the day (blame those not turning up, and there are some) it needs to be used. It is difficult to mobilise quickly some of those in the more vulnerable groups, so rather than waste it, why not give to someone who is available?

My 'insider' information is that they are contacting priority groups as much as practicable. I know some front line health & social care workers who have made an hour's journey following an 'end of the day' email. Staff at those GP practices stayed late to vaccinate the 'end of the day' people.I also know some who had to turn the offer down because they couldn't leave patients, or needed to get home to children.
Of course there is a worry that this may turn into nepotism or worse, but I trust GPs and other involved to prioritise sensibly, and only do this with vaccine that would otherwise be dumped.
There are many reasons that people will genuinely miss appointments, especially those in a vulnerable age group.

As long as everybody vaccinated does it really matter . The more people vaccinated the sooner we can get back to some normality .

Well put Greyknitter. I agree with the OP when she wishes her sister hadn’t told her. In these tense times, things like this can be really upsetting.

For goodness sake, what kind of person resent her sister and family being vaccinated, however it was done?

I would rather see it used than be wasted. Those people who have had appointments for the vaccine and haven't turned up, should be made to pay the costs incurred. I used to work for the NHS and the number of wasted appointments costs money, increases the waiting lists and prevents another person having that appointment. Some people would phone to cancel but most just didn't bother turning up.

I wonder if people will start turning up at surgeries/vaccination centres later in the day to see if there are any ' spares ' left.

Who says it has to go in the bin. I thought it could be kept in the fridge!!!!

It’s better their used up than thrown away, which I heard had happened in GP’s surgeries. The more intelligent would vaccinate whomever is nearest like staff.
Why don’t you ask to have your name on the list if you can get there is very short notice.

Oh for goodness sake feel glad the vaccine has gone to good use. You will get your turn

Would be wrong to let it go to waste. But a 77 year old friend who is the primary carer for her 93 year old husband with dementia was told she couldn’t have the vaccine when she took him. At the end of the day the marshals got the left overs. My friend could have been back in 10 minutes.

It’s difficult; my elderly friend who lives on own has appointment for vaccine but physically can’t get there she’s dodgy on her feet as had a stroke. She could get taxi but needs assistance.
I’m too far away and don’t drive anyway so cos t help. Hopefully the Oxford vaccine might be done at her home like her flu and pneumonia were.

Mary62, is it that you secretly feel that the spare vaccine should been offered to you?
Personally, like most comments on here, I'm impressed that the doses didn't get dumped by n the clinical waste.

How many of us woudn't do the same, if we were a doctor and there was left over vaccine? Better to use it than to lose it.
Sure, maybe, there were more deserving cases, but how long would it take to organise getting them there right away?

Lesleyroch

Who says it has to go in the bin. I thought it could be kept in the fridge!!!!

Once diluted I doubt the extra doses in each vial can be kept overnight.
If more than one person in the practice is vaccinating there could be several diluted doses left over at the end of the day.

the DES specification confirmed that the vaccine will come to GP practices in ‘multidose vials’. Practices must have the necessary space and trained workforce to prepare the vaccine, including ‘dilution where required, using standard aseptic technique, and drawing up of multidose vials in all cases’, it said.

It sounds like a very sensible use of resources.
Perhaps this is really about some unfinished business with your sister? Possibly unconscious, but maybe something you could sit quietly and think about?

I think the people to be angry at are those not attending appointments. But vaccines should not be wasted and once health staff have had them then anyone close by should rightly be offered. Feel pleased the quicker people are vaccinated the better.

It’s a good idea to make sure it’s all used BUT totally unacceptable that it didn’t go to those in the correct queue order. I personally would report the GP for breaking government rulings.

Given how precious this vaccine in, phoning around for people to use the vaccine rather than waste it is poor procedure. How about compiling a list of registered people who would be happy and able to come in at short notice so waste is not an option.