Jab on Tuesday!

Yes, the awful thing about the whole pandemic has been the further isolation of people who are already on the fringes of society.

It does annoy me, because I think service provider should find a way to communicate with every single customer, even if it means a hand delivered message if necessary.

I think this is more than a few blips. Whole areas are missing out, while others just a few miles away are getting ahead.

One poor man hasn’t had a vaccine because they tried to contact him by phone, even though he doesn’t use a phone because he’s deaf. No further attempt at contact was made. I assume his family has raised the issue now but yes, if you’ve no one, it’s a an awful thought.

I suppose it's inevitable that there are going to be admin errors.

That's no help if you're one of that number, though.

I worry about people with no advocate or help from anyone.

I think it’s all kicked off tonight, Missadventure. ? One of my daughters had sight today of a letter from an MSP in my mum’s area, saying that she’d been contacted by numerous constituents, as they’d not been contacted about their jabs. She wanted to know what was going on. My dd wasted no time at all in contacting the MSP about my mum/her grandma and received an almost immediate reply.

Then after dinner I looked at FB and the health board in that area had just posted a big message saying that if you were in the top priority groups and hadn’t heard anything to phone your GP asap. The exact opposite of what we’ve been told for months!

I reckon someone is getting their backside kicked, and not before time. So ??? my mum (and her equally elderly friend) will be seen soon.

I’m in the South of England, two friends, both 73 have had letters from the NHS in the last six days for vaccination at the local large hub and subsequently text messages from the GP for the local smaller surgery. They both called to cancel the hub appointments, one is going to the GP)s this Thursday, one Friday. I think they’re hedging their bets on two communications, I know a few people who either don’t switch mobiles on/don’t read text messages/ changed their number, most will read a letter.

I hoped you'd update, SueDomin.

I've been wondering about your mum.

The MSP for my mother’s area is now involved in her case. It seems there are quite a lot of unhappy people in her Health Board who’ve been missed out including people being phoned when they’re deaf and unable to use a phone.

I had my first Pfizer vaccine yesterday. (over 75, South Wales) It was very busy, but I was seen straight away. 'The centre giving the vaccines was about 5 miles away and very remote. I had to use my hand sanitizer before I was seen.

Where I am they have a reserve list for the major vaccine hubs, and the Health Board put out an appeal for the 65-69s to add their names before last weekend to make sure they had people who were confident to travel if the weather was less good, knowing that a lot of older people are nervous about driving in bad weather. It did work, and they will repeat if the same happens again in the next few weeks. I’m waiting for the appeal for my age group as I don’t care if I have to go at 10pm, just want it done.

In this case, they didn’t have enough people to call last minute, as they’d expected a large cohort. We have snow and ice at the moment, as well, which also meant last-minute invitations couldn’t necessarily get there.

SueDonim The vacc centre staff were then left with lots of vaccines on their hands. They managed to scratch around and find a few people who come along at the last minute, but what a waste, when people are crying out for jags. sad

The nurse at the hub where I had my vax last Saturday made a point of saying that not a single dose was wasted, that they had a "reserve list" of people who lived nearby who could get there quickly if contacted, and that all staff would stay at the hub until the last precious dose had been used.

Dh has finally, finally, had his letter. Getting the jag tomorrow and the second at the end of April. Still nothing for mum.

I had my jab this morning after following the link on Mumsnet. I am 69 and diabetic and it allowed to me to book. It was about a 15 minutes from home at a fairly large hub. I got there early and was seen straight away. The place was empty so evidently people haven’t been sent there letters.

Dh had his jab at the same centre on Monday having had his letter on Friday - he is 74 so he comes into an older age group and then yesterday lunch time he got an a phone call from our Gp to invite him to the Gp hub.

The hub I went to was heaving with people - a positive covid soup.

We have had a hub here, and some people have said they went along and were fitted in with the left over vaccines.

My colleague went there, as she had been unable to get an appointment.

The hub was shut, nobody in the huge medical hub nearby knew why it wasn't there..

Something seems to be going wrong, Marydoll. A local friend went for her first jab last Thursday at a new vacc centre. She was there for forty minutes and in that time, only one other person turned up.

The staff tried to find where their other clients had got to and discovered that it was a group of people from another, nearby town. Except that this group had all previously been vaccinated at their GP’s. I would assume that none of them had had any communication about the vacc ventre because I find it hard to believe a large group of over-70’s would have made no attempt to cancel their appointments.

The vacc centre staff were then left with lots of vaccines on their hands. They managed to scratch around and find a few people who come along at the last minute, but what a waste, when people are crying out for jags.

As I was driving in to have my job my mobile was ringing. Afterwards I looked up the call and it was my surgery, offering me a jab on Saturday! Like buses...........

My friend the postman was telling me last week thatt they had been warned to expect piles of vaccine letters to deliver. Non appeared. Something isn't quite right!

I hope your mum hears soon.

Thank you for the phone contact number, Marydoll. I called it and spoke to a very pleasant person. She couldn’t offer any help as such, just said that if you’re registered with a GP, you’ll be on their radar and they’ll get to you eventually. Also that some letters for 70-80’s are only being sent out now.

Interestingly, she said they’re getting a number of calls from over 80’s who’ve yet to be vaccinated and from 70-80’s who haven’t had a letter, which makes me wonder about the truth of how many people have really been vaccinated.

I had the first AZ last Friday. Surgery rang to make the appt. at a big hub, part of the local university.
I had quite bad quite shivers and shakes, aka flu like symptoms, that evening, but the leaflet they gave us said that was normal. I was fine again by morning.
Dh had his a week earlier with no reaction.

I was reassured rather than otherwise by my reaction - it meant something was happening!

I’ve since had the letter inviting you to book, but that only applies if you haven’t been booked for the first already. I was told I’d be contacted for the 2nd in about 12 weeks.

SueDonim, I am aware of a number of seventy year olds in Lanarkshire who haven't had a letter. As shielder, I haven't had mine either.

Have you tried the vaccine helpline?
The Scottish COVID-19 vaccination helpline and booking service is available from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week on 0800 030 8013.

SueDonim I’m sorry about your vaccine problems. I hope they get sorted soon. Is there an online contact in Scotland like people mention in England?
Finally got my jab, close to home, but the organisation put me into closer contact with potential carriers than I’ve been since last March.
Think of the Blackburn Cathedral scenario-it was very much like that outside and appalling inside!

My mum in her 90’s is still waiting. My dh has yet to receive a letter which he was supposed to have had by Saturday. They’re victims of the mismanaged roll out in Scotland. It’s upsetting and making us angry.

DH got his letter today, and within five minutes had booked in for Thursday morning, 4 miles away. There were lots of appointments on offer, and a choice of five venues within 6 miles. We’ve no complaints.

A fabulous local taxi company is offering free transport to the vaccine sites for anyone who needs it.