Bureaucratic nonsense

interesting update. I got my invitation from my GP and was allowed to BOOK online an appointment before I was actually elegible. The appointment could only be on or after the date on which I became elegible. The online system was not the national one but set up by my local practices all banding together

That is exactly what I wanted to do - it is simple common sense.

Incidentally Candelle I'm the person who couldn't have my vaccine on a Saturday morning.

It seems to be arranged differently in different areas of the country.
Vaccines are only done at weekends here, at a specified time at the GP surgery. Patients are phoned by the receptionists and given an appointment time.

Luckygirl

That is exactly what I wanted to do - it is simple common sense.

Same here! My 182 days are up next week. I haven't heard a thing and all I know is that there is a walk-in centre at my local leisure centre. I can't afford to spend hours queuing. If I had a specific time, that would be OK because I'd work round it and could juggle my work around a bit. I've asked on a local Facebook group, but nobody seems to know more than I do.

The issue is lack of communication. I don't want to jump any queues. I just want a reasonably convenient date and a time, so that I can plan accordingly. I would imagine there are many people in the same situation. The original programme worked amazingly well and I just don't understand why this one seems so hit and miss, maybe depending where one lives.

Had a text from nhs to have my booster and ring doctor only to be told they are not doing them yet

growstuff

Luckygirl

That is exactly what I wanted to do - it is simple common sense.

Same here! My 182 days are up next week. I haven't heard a thing and all I know is that there is a walk-in centre at my local leisure centre. I can't afford to spend hours queuing. If I had a specific time, that would be OK because I'd work round it and could juggle my work around a bit. I've asked on a local Facebook group, but nobody seems to know more than I do.

The issue is lack of communication. I don't want to jump any queues. I just want a reasonably convenient date and a time, so that I can plan accordingly. I would imagine there are many people in the same situation. The original programme worked amazingly well and I just don't understand why this one seems so hit and miss, maybe depending where one lives.

The walk in centre I went to was brilliant. I was straight in. DH went first thing this morning just as they opened. He asked them last week what was the best time to go and the said 2 pm was very quiet so that’s when I went. We were exactly 182 days after our second vaccine. There seemed to be more people with appointments though. They said people still didn’t seem to know you could just turn up. I only knew because someone on Facebook told me.

No walk-in round here unfortunately.

I realised yesterday that my surgery had phoned me exactly 182 days after my second vaccination. But I didn’t know that they were going to do so. Ok, it says on their website that they will contact people when their booster is due but it was the insecurity of not trusting that that was going to happen. And that’s the ongoing theme of the pandemic: the ‘not knowingness’. And anything that involves being on the phone and put on hold endlessly is like a form of torture. It really does do something to your brain!

My husband and I both received text messages yesterday asking us to either book or go to a walk in clinic to get our boosters. I think that makes it 189 days since we got the second dose of our Pfizer vaccines. We’ve booked for Sunday at a pharmacy about ten minutes drive from our house. It’s the closest place offering booster jabs. We’ve still got to sit down for 15 minutes following the jab so they must have facilities for that. We received our initial vaccinations at a large, purpose built GP Practice and Health Centre which was turned completely into a vaccination centre during the first round of vaccinations. I assumed the GPs were operating out of one of their smaller surgeries (they have several) whilst the vaccination programme was on there.

It would appear that somebody in PHE was listening to some of us on GN* and the system will be changed on Monday, so that people can book a booster in advance. Obviously we weren't the only ones who wanted this, so thank you PHE for taking notice, while others tried to put us down by, for example, claiming we are "entitled".

*I don't really think PHE reads GN, but this does just go to show we weren't the only ones to comment on this.

MayBee70

I realised yesterday that my surgery had phoned me exactly 182 days after my second vaccination. But I didn’t know that they were going to do so. Ok, it says on their website that they will contact people when their booster is due but it was the insecurity of not trusting that that was going to happen. And that’s the ongoing theme of the pandemic: the ‘not knowingness’. And anything that involves being on the phone and put on hold endlessly is like a form of torture. It really does do something to your brain!

And it appears somebody was listening to what so many people like you (and me) have been saying. It was a valid concern.

“Yeah! And I bet your mother told you to eat your greens because poor children in Africa are starving. hmm”
Ha! I was thinking the same .

That is good.

Alegrias1

Hattiehelga

On the front page of Mail on Sunday it stated that the Health Minister has instructed the NHS to give boosters after FIVE months to get the programme rolled out quicker.

Well, that's not really the case is it?

The Health Minister has "ordered" the NHS to allow people over 50 to book their boosters a month before they are due to have them. Which should make some people posting here very happy.

However, that doesn't mean they get their boosters a month early. Just in case anyone was thinking of complaining that their 5 months are up and they haven't had their booster yet.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10124033/Millions-Covid-vaccine-ministers-rip-booster-jab-booking-system.html

From Wednesday 27th, It's Mr Javid you should be thanking.

Obviously it wasn't worth being happy about 10 days ago because I mentioned it.

(Sorry, the chip on my shoulder is getting heavy )

There’s only just been a report issued that unfortunately shows that those of us that had the AZ vaccine aren’t as protected as those that had the Pfizer one. I know the Pfizer one always did have a greater immune response and we’re still well protected from hospitalisation but it’s really important that we get that shot of the Pfizer one asap. I’m not knocking the AZ vaccine. I still think it was an amazing achievement but I am relieved that I’ve had the Pfizer booster. Especially as they’re not going to make NHS workers have the vaccine, probably because they can’t afford to lose any staff and we older people need to be as protected as possible if ever we need to go to hospital. Even though I had the vaccine at a walk in centre I did tell my surgery how impressed and grateful I was with the way they contacted me on my 182nd day ( I wasn’t taking up precious time by doing so by the way but via a message to them that included other things).