Jab on Tuesday!

It depends who is ‘booking/requesting’ the jab for you. I’ve taken 3 relatives (over 80) to a specialist centre that has been set up but appointments were arranged by their GP’s. My local authority has arranged mine directly (priority worker) and we have to go to the local hospital, bypassing our GP altogether.

I got a text message yesterday evening from my GP surgery for the vaccine. They are being given at the Village Hall in my area. The text then directed me to a booking site where I could choose the day and time. Great. But once I had booked my appointment the site said I should make another one in about 12 week!
Looks like I am getting the Phizer one then. Still, beggars can't be choosers.
It will be like a day out for me, I am quite excited!

@Whitewavemark2. When you go for the vaccination they should automatically book you for the second jab.

Several surgeries in our area got together and were offering appointments at a local vaccination site. We had a phone call from our surgery to book for my elderly mum and she had the jab there the following day, also booking for the second jab at the same time. A week later we got a letter from NHS asking us to book the vaccination for her and giving several options for sites - all of which were miles away.

GolferGrandma I think SwiftQueue is just a platform for healthcare organisations to use for appointment-making and referrals - I too was alerted to it by a friend who lives in Nottingham & has booked her vaccination through it.
But when I went onto it & put in my own postcode it just redirected me to the NHS site so I concluded that my CCG/GP practice isn’t signed up to it.

We haven’t heard anything yet and my DH is extremely clinically vulnerable. All we can do is wait.

I have been participating in the clinical trial for the Novavax
vaccine since last October and as it's a double blind trial I had no idea if I had received the vaccine or a placebo,
Last week I received my invitation to book a vaccination directly from Guys & St Thomas' NHS Trust by text which included a link plus code unique to me to book online. I had to have my participation unblinded as could only go ahead & be vaccinated if I'd received the placebo & yes I had)
I went online & found I could choose either hospital, date & time and once I booked the first appointment I was offered dates (11-12 weeks later) for 2nd vaccine.
I chose Guys being the closest and it was brilliantly organised - very professional yet friendly and after receiving the vaccine (Pfizer) we were directed to the waiting area where free tea/coffee (completely unexpected but very welcome) was provided. Each seat was then thoroughly cleaned/sanitised after each use. I cannot praise everyone involved enough

We had a phone call from our surgery and booked for tomorrow - Sunday- then a letter arrived inviting us to book an appointment.

What the letter said which the surgery didn’t say was that we should book the first and second appointment at the same time, so I shall go along tomorrow armed with letter and ask to book a second appointment.

Texts, letters, phone calls, NHS website, SwiftQueue, local surgery, large vaccination centre - so many different routes, so little clarity! I am just glad that my letter came so I had a clear route forward.

Both my partner and I were invited by text, this enabled you to choose the appointment out of the many slots on the screen, we both got confirmation texts and were reminded by text the day before the vaccination. As I had chosen 1830 slot, most of the vaccination had been used already but the practitioners went round the portable injection tables and were able to use it all, so no waste. It was the Pfizer jab, and no they did not book the 12 week hence second, so there may be good news that they may come earlier. Sore arm, upset stomach and sort centre back muscles for three days. SO KEEP YOUR PHONE ON! Please do not turn it off as many of my elderly friends.

We had a call from our surgery about a local centre which was much more convenient. From the sound of it some surgeries are much more efficient than others, ours are well ahead of themselves and seem to have vaccinated the top priority groups as we are in the over 70 less urgent group.
We do have the advantage of being in an urban area with a large population and a local centre, I imagine that more rural areas may have to travel further.

I was given heads up about a site - SwiftQueue, where there were several local venues and with my DH having had his NHS letter I registered both of us on there and booked him an appointment locally. The NHS site only offered venues miles away all over the country! As he is 4 years older and in the group ahead of me I couldn’t book mine at that time. However following day I learnt 70+ group were now invited, so I rescheduled his original appointment and booked us both, adjoining times, the following day. At that point my invitation letter had not arrived but since I have had 2. My understanding is that one comes from the NHS, the other (SwiftQueue) through the surgery connection.
We both go on Tuesday.

You can do it without the letter, I did! As long as you’re eligible, then you’re away! I didn’t think I should put the link on here but if anyone would like it, please pm me.

www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination.

I followed the instructions on the letter - I entered my NHS number and date of birth and away I went.

I do not know if you can do this without the letter; or if it just clocks that you are in an eligible group.

You’re describing the English arrangements I assume Teacheranne, as it’s controlled through the devolved Healthcare systems to the governments in the other nations. However as there is a commitment from all the nations to vaccinate the top four priority groups by mid February, as long as that is achieved they will all have met their initial target, and if some areas can achieve that and more then that’s great.
the Welsh First Minister said in his speech today that Wales is continuing with the JCVI recommendations, and as it stands now the rollout will be to the ECV group and the 65-69 group next - if their guidance changes them apparently it will be considered, but the way I read it was that each nation can adapt to suit their own scientists recommendations if they wish - will be interesting to see how it pans out.

My DH and my sister have got their appointments for next week. I felt so happy for them both and a tad emotional. Being considerably younger than them I don't know when I'll get mine but happy to wait.

It’s difficult to judge the eligibility age area by area as they vary so much. Where I live, they are still working through the over 80’s with just a few pockets vaccinating 75 to 80 yr olds yet obviously from what people are saying here, under 75’s are being booked in somewhere else.

There are indeed two systems on the go, deliberately so I am told. One works through regional NHS trusts and use the big centralised hubs. The other is being run by GP practices using local centres, it’s not according to type of vaccine, both are being used by both systems. The idea is that if an admin slip up occurs, you will get a call by one of them, obviously some people get both alerts. At the end of the first four categories
( mid Feb) , there will be announcements that any eligible people who have not had the vaccine can then make contact to book an appointment without a letter, text or phone call.

The powers that be are currently deciding on the next groups to be called, it might not be those of us aged 60 to 70 in the next two categories as they are considering any priority groups, such as key workers.

I know this because my ex husband is working on the computer programmes facilitating the admin of appointments and, although I don’t talk to him, he has told our daughter.

Yes, we were able to book our vaccinations. We had to travel by train, thereby allowing more vulnerable/older people to use the local centres.

My daughter works for the Nhs and while working late on Monday evening, an email popped up, saying they had slots available for any Nhs workers close family, who fit the criteria.
She booked me in for 8.30 Wednesday at a hospital about 15 miles away.
She had to fill a form in with all her details and mine and then authorised by her Manager, I had to take the form, proof of identity and proof of National Health Number if possible.
She told me all the slots had gone within an hour, so it makes me think they had a batch due to go out of date and thought of a way to use them up.

Sorry but I’m quite new on here. What do I have to do for you to pm me?

I will pm you the website address if you’d like, Curlygirl. I think it’s dreadful having to wait whilst there are loads of appointments going spare.

Sorry don’t understand this. What is the NHS portal that you can log into witthout a letter. We are both 73 and have neither had a letter nor a call from our surgery. Should we be worried.? We are told people won’t be forgotten but how can we be sure?

Our surgery's website has a message that they would contact us by phone and to make sure our numbers were correct by logging onto and going to the admin section.

We both had a text yesterday, within seconds of each other, with a link to book. Both given the same day and a choice of 10 min time slots. That meant we could go together.

Next Thursday 17:00

There was an option to say if we didn't want it or we couldn't do the Thursday. Then they would get in touch again in a couple of weeks.

Hope everyone gets theirs soon.

I had a letter this morning and a couple of hours later my surgery rang! All sorted for next Saturday.

Exactly B9exchange. You have to be eligible and you just go past the question about the letter and if you can, BOOK!