Have you had to travel for your vaccination?

I was given the option of travelling to Durham (about 60 miles) .....or a little nearer, 40 miles ....chose not to do that (no private transport, so would have involved a bus, a train then a taxi (ha ha ..very risk free !!!) so I waited until I could get one only 10 miles away ...went there very early one morning (on the first public transport of the day !) ....no problem ....but I DO think , when we are told still to STAY HOME etc that to be given appointments a fair way away and having to take public transport (or pay around £100 for a taxi there and back) is a bit defeating the object !!! not thought out ,,,,,

My partner had a letter asking him to go to a centre approx 25 miles away but he was contacted a couple of days later by our surgery and was vaccinated there.

We, 65 & 63 opted to travel just as soon as our ages appeared on the nhs website, not knowing how long we would have to wait, otherwise, to hear from either the nhs by letter or GP by phone.
We had our jabs 3 and 2 weeks ago.
Otherwise we would still be waiting to hear anything at all, either by phone or letter.
We decided to be proactive and sort it but had to drive over 30 miles each ( Yeovil and Poole from West Dorset ). So 60 miles round trip.
It could have been worse, we were offered some venues over 70 miles away!!! ( 140 miles round trip ! )

10 minute walk to GP practice. There's a bus but I get little enough exercise as it is.

GPs are only there if you have a problem booking for yourself. When you get a letter or text you follow the instructions. We have a new vaccine site opened near our surgery BUT the surgery can't book there, when they go online to the exclusive GP booking system they have only two other sites to choose from. I would suggest if you can't book online or at a suitable venue try calling 119 (although that service is rather hit and miss)

My 77 year old mum ended up spending £60 on a taxi for the round trip for her first vaccination. I don't drive and she was unable to get a lift. She contacted the community hub but they couldn't help with transport. Fortunately she has been able to move her appointment for the second one to a more local venue

I didn't wait for a letter, I just went online and was able to book. We were given plenty of choices for venues and also the distance we would have to travel. We choose a small village that we knew where the venue was the village hall. We travelled 34 miles, had our jab, we had a lovely day out with a takeaway lunch by the river. Our letter for our jabs came from our GP some 3 weeks later.

I had mine six weeks ago after an invitation from my GP. It wasn't at their surgery though as all local practices have come together and are sharing space with a practice about 15 minutes drive away. My daughter who is a foster carer had hers at our (closer) local hospital and I'm happy not to have been asked to go there as the risk of infection there was very much higher in January.

I had to travel about 35 miles for mine. I was offered it by work as a key worker and at the time, that was the only venue offered to us.

Now however, there are several more venues far more locally - including the office I work at, which obviously would have been much more convenient.

I have to go back to the original venue for the second dose, but actually I'm so grateful to have it, that I'd happily travel much further if needed.

I had mine at the local showground at the beginning of February. I had to drive about 10 miles which I was very happy to do because it allowed me to go further from home for the first time in weeks.

I have since been informed that I am CEV so when I have to have my second jab towards the end of April it will be even better as I am only going out for exercise at the moment.

Several of our local surgeries centralised their vacinations at a local health centre. My husband went on a saturday and our practice nurse was among the staff, I went on a weekday and it was being staffed by army medics.
Over the last 4yrs my husband has had treatment at several different hospitals each in a different hospital group and he has had an invitation for a vaccination from each of them.

We had ours last week having been contacted by our GP surgery the week before. It was done in the village hall and was very well co-ordinated. We only had a short drive through the village to get there luckily. I wish the flu jab had been done this way.

When my letter came, I went online and was offered a jab in a local town ten miles away with truly awful parking. The next on the list was 20 miles away at a Leisure Centre I knew, with a multi-storey next door. Perfect.
I've never had a GP letter, though a healthy friend 10 yrs younger than me had a jab the same week at my surgery.
Someone else, much much younger was terrified when she got a GP letter, thinking that she had a terrible illness that they'd kept from her! No, it wasn't true!

When I first got the text I went online but the nearest hospital had run out of appointments. It was a case of wait and try again.

Eventually I got a slot at the local hospital which is just a 15 minute bus ride away - an obvious advantage of living near a large city.

I had mine a few weeks ago as I’m ecv but when hubby (68) tried to book his online he could only get a centre 40-50 miles away. There has been lots of consternation locally as people weren’t made aware that GPs weren’t prioritising over 65s and were doing 16+ with health conditions first. If this had been made clear in the beginning people would have happily travelled to vaccination hubs but instead were sitting waiting for GP to contact them.

We had to travel to a hub 15 miles away booked online Our GPs were organising but seemed to stop a few weeks ago just before they got to us !

I got mine at the local vaccine centre (5 miles away). I’m 56. I’m in scotland.

Presumably those who don't have to travel far live near large centres of civilisation and not out in the sticks!

Heard from the doctor and told to book on line (link in the text). Had a choice of three places - none were the surgery. We both booked an appointment together (71 and 72) and went to a treatment centre 5 miles away. Mid Cornwall.

Love your experience nannina

Yes, nearly 30 miles and I have to go somewhere else for the second one.
Must Google how to get there!

I'm 68 and received an invitation by text from my GP to book at a clinic in the town where I live, about 5 minutes drive from me. Unfortunately the link continously took me to 'no appointments available' so I went to the NHS website where I had the option if a number of pharmacies, the nearest being a mile or so from where I live. I booked for 24 February and everything went smoothly. The second shot is booked at the same place in May.
Younger friends who booked later were not offered this pharmacy which is very close to them but had to travel 5 miles or so, into East London to get theirs.

I went on line when I knew I was in the eligible age group as there was nothing on my GP website except “don’t contact the surgery re Covid inoculations”
However the appointment was for 9 am that Sunday morning, only just over a mile away, but as heavy snow was forecast overnight, I decided not to risk it and wait.
The next day I got my letter. I went on line again and got an appointment the next afternoon at the same centre! Then an hour later I got a call from the GP surgery offering me one. I explained that if I’d known they were imminent there I might have waiting.
Anyway, first one over, no reaction, painless (not like the flu one this year which was both) and date for the follow up given when I booked the first - a Saturday evening in late April.
Neighbour one over eighty was missed though her husband wasn’t. She called the surgery a few weeks later and was told she’d been marked there that she’d had it!
Good Luck everyone

We had a letter offering a jab at a hub, for my 70 year old husband 6 weeks ago but got phone call the following day from GP offering jab for him and ‘I might as well go as well as I’m 67’ three days later. It was very well organised like a military op with no fuss and very efficient manner. All in this area are offered like this. Hub would have been about 14 miles, GP was less than 1 mile.

Booked ours through the NHS website and drove to the local football club about 20 miles away.

I had a phone call from my GP s surgery at 5 O'Clock asking if myself and partner could go the next day to receive our vaccination which is 5 minutes drive away.I am 66 partner 69 both no underlying health conditions,both felt a bit rough the day after.