DH - tried - to get a flu jab

There seems to be a big difference between how doctors surgeries are operating.
My husband and I had ours done on Saturday but had to book an appointment first, queue outside but vaccinations were done inside the surgery. We are in our 80s so relieved to get it done.
Am annoyed about the way the government has been encouraging people to have one and then there are problems for everyone to do that

I can't fault our surgery with its organisation for the flu jab. They use the village hall and started in Septembergoing right through to the end of November. There were many dates to choose from with just 1 minute apart. I went in one door, gave my name, walked to the nurse, jab and out another door. In all it just 5 minutes.

Here in France we automatically get a prescription for our flu vaccine pack along with a start date for collecting it from any pharmacy, in the post. You then can ask the pharmacist to do it or take it to the local nurses' station for them to administer or, as I do, do it yourself. I swab my upper arm with TCP, press the hypodermic to eject air and pop it in. Simples! Why is everything so complicated in the UK?

Our surgery are brilliant with the flu jab, they book a local hall and there is a steady stream of people coming at allotted times. One way system in place, loads of hand sanitiser, full PPE for the nurses, can’t fault it.

I hope MOnica has read these comments. There are many out there getting their flu jabs done safely and quickly.

I would change surgery MOnica. As someone has said. it's not NHS causing your problem, it's the management at the surgery.

I envy those with surgeries that will book you in for the flu jab

It is very difficult to get an appointment with any of our GPs at the moment but they are offering appointments for flu vaccinations. We haven't had ours yet, the appointment is for later this week and we were warned to make sure to keep it because they are running short of vaccine.

The system at our surgery was very efficient . Appointments booked 2 minutes apart. Asked not to arrive more than 5 minutes before appointment .
No queue on arrival and directed into a one way system, to one of 3 tents in the car park. Nurses administering jabs from a trolley standing up in the tent with a clerks just beside her checking off details from their printed list. Out of car park to our car and no congestion anywhere. All over in 2 minutes. It was a fine day. But for similar queues on a wet day I have a folding stool in a cloth bag and an umbrella that stands up by itself when you put it down. It has a solid hook at the end instead of a handle so that you can loop it over your wrist as you walk with it open. If it is shut you can put it in the shoulder sheath which came with it.

I must be one of the lucky ones,I was 65 last year and had called at the chemist to pick up my prescription when the assistant asked if I would like a flu jab,I waited 10 minutes and had my jab.last week my daughter who's friend is a nurse advised me to arrange to get one as they may run out,I called in my local chemist to ask if they were doing them she advised they would do it if I could wait 5 minutes she would do it.job done!I have got to say I had a very sore arm for 3 days .,but having read some of the comments on this thread feel it is a small price to pay.

I live next door to my surgery but I was told , on enquiring last week that Flu vacs would not be done there. Here in Scotland the powers that be have decided that if you don't need to shield to will be sent an appointment, time and place ( a so called Hub") to get the flu VAC. I am 80 and keeping well but I have no intention of trying to travel, maybe across the city, to get a flu vac.

Please don't be peed off with the entire NHS!

DD has RD with other side bits (the words are hers as she refuses to let it define her) her jab is been done 23rd this month. We are with the same surgery ,when she had her monthly bloods end of last month was told they were following government guide lines priority given to over 65s we had ours 2weeks ago So on that day as instructed by surgery she has hers 9.24, I meet 13year old GS after school out side pharmacy for his, 18year-old GD will pop in after she finishes school, SIL popping out in lunch break for his . So by time the family are all together at end of day all done . SIL payed for by company, GC bank of mum & dad.

I went to my local Boots chemist three weeks ago to collect my thyroid medication and my pharmacist said you need a flu jab and he did it for me there and then! Its the first time I've had one as I didn't qualify before and I've always been a bit scared of it. Didn't have time to think about it! When I got home I was still in shock! Lol ? Reading of some of the experiences on here I was really lucky to have it done so quickly and efficiently. Didn't have to pay either by the way.

I live in a retirement village in north yorkshire and the manager arranged with our surgery for a doctor to come on site and give everyone, including the staff, there jab if they wanted one, it worked perfectly, he did over a hundred in an afternoon. I hope they do this every year from now on.

We were offered and took up the offer of a drive through flu jab at a local livestock market via our drs surgery
Excellent as was pouring with rain
Took my parents at same time
Very efficient system
Same practice offered a walk through at a local supermarket car park with covered area
Needs must

Our practice had a great set-up for the flu jabs.
They took over the local academy's hall (during the school holiday) and sent out appointment times to all eligible patients. We were met at the door where had to hand sanitise, moved along to another person who directed us to a line which we then walked down to meet the injector. She checked over the form we filled out at home, promptly jagged us and sent us on our way. In and out in 2 minutes, no queues either inside or out. For those not able to walk so far they would go out and do it in their car.
Excellent set-up altogether ... much better than the usual free for all they usually have on jag day at the practice!!!

We had our flu jabs in a school carpark last Saturday. Not sure what would have happened if we didn’t have a car but it all went very efficiently. DD is a practice nurse and has worked the last two Saturdays doing jabs. The first Saturday they saw over 800 patients and had 14 staff working. When she went to bed she said she was dreaming about doing them!

Our surgery had a drive through system in the car park. I had a specific time slot & there was a one way system in the car park. The practice nurse gave the jab through the open car window whole process took less than 5 minutes.

I have not had mine yet - the surgery is doing them alphabetically by surname over 3 consecutive Saturdays, and I am nearly last on the list! I get mine this Saturday. No doubt it will be fiendishly efficient, as they always are.

But it will be a damp squib compared with the usual "Jab Party" that happens in the village hall - tea and cake and a chat along with your flu jab.

I booked mine at the pharmacy free of charge. They cancelled it as they had run out. I rang the GP and they have put me on a list as they have run out too.

My practice isn't doing flu jags this year. Very small building and couldn't cope anyway. Whole system has been given over to local Health Board with various community halls, even a theatre being used. Have to phone or email a central system to arrange appointment. No problem.

Why are you cross with the NHS..... you should be cross with your surgery. This is their choosing not the NHS. 99% of gap practices are privately owned.

My GP practice also v efficient, no problems getting flu jab. DD has been volunteering at agricultural showground in Cornwall, crowd control at drive-in flu jab session, another volunteer said it was a practice run for when the Covid vaccine is ready...?

Brilliant at our Drs in Denbigh, they had Saturday clinic on 2 Saturdays, saw 1800 people, held it at a pub by the hospital so plenty of room for lots of staff and patients, one way system etc, plenty of parking, brilliant. Can't fault NHS here

I phoned our Health Centre on numerous occasions to try to book a flu jab. I couldn't get through, even though I hung on waiting for ages.
I made an appointment at our local independent pharmacy, no fuss, straight in, jab given, answered a couple of questions and that was it. As I'm over 65 it was free.

I had my flu jab done in ASDA, Didn't need an apt.they done it there and then.