Twelve weeks on, Mum still hasn't been called for second jab!

I am sure I heard on TV this morning to just go online and book.

suziewoozie

Mooney59

Go on the nhs website and book it

My understanding is that the nhs website is for booking first jabs and at the same time making a booking for the second one. Anyone share my understanding ?

yes, its a different stream and setup from the Gp vaccinations, you can't just go on there and book a second jab and the system will "know" that you have had a first jab. The NHS couldn't make one plan for all. As I explained, GP's are contractors and not employees of the NHS. It has been up to them how they manage their rollout, some have chosen not to do it at all.

My cousin in Yorkshire was due his second jab the other week, 12 weeks after the first dose, and had his appointment cancelled due to a lack of the vaccine. It's worrying as when does the first dose stop giving protection?

I had my first dose after receiving a text from my GP. At the vaccination centre they told me they would be in touch regarding my second jab. My husband had exactly the same experience.
I became aware that those people who’d booked online via the NHS website had also got dates for their second vaccine. Yesterday I went on the website and was able to book second jabs for my husband and myself. I suggest you give that a go. Good luck!

The mass vaccination centres usually book both appointments at the same time.
Could you talk to her surgery? Is it possible to have the second jab at a centre rather than waiting for the surgery?
When I booked mine online there were numerous slots available for both jabs.
You’re given a card with the vaccine details so I assume it’s fairly straightforward to ensure the correct second jab is available.
I would definitely ring and have a discussion about expected time scales and possible alternatives.
It’s unfair on your mum and no doubt she will be feeling disappointed, let down and frustrated. It just delays everything when she was probably expecting to feel safer and therefore more positive about the future.
Maybe you could tell the surgery that she is getting depressed?

Originally it was 3 weeks between first and second jab but was changed to twelve weeks in order to vaccinate the maximum number once.
If your mum has already reached the twelfth week after her first shot, I'd be making noises.

I was contacted through GP for first jab and at appointment was given card with appointment on for second jab, 12 weeks to the minute!

Please read the full thread properly - the surgery has basically said to OP’s mum ‘we don’t know when we’ll be able to give you the second jab, go away’

I was very grateful when my GP practice phoned to arrange 1st jab at end of January, and will wait patiently for 2nd jab, which I realise may be a while, but 'm better off than people in many other countries, including the EU.

Try ringing 119. We were going to do that, then a text came through to book. This is being done instead of phone calls for those who can receive them this way.

KarenR

I had my first dose after receiving a text from my GP. At the vaccination centre they told me they would be in touch regarding my second jab. My husband had exactly the same experience.
I became aware that those people who’d booked online via the NHS website had also got dates for their second vaccine. Yesterday I went on the website and was able to book second jabs for my husband and myself. I suggest you give that a go. Good luck!

Thank you that’s useful to know

If she is worried, understandably, I wouldn't hesitate to book 2nd one online which you can do. The only thing is it may be a little further away, but it may not be.

I would advise she contact GP and try once more - if no luck, contact your local MP. This is such a politically hot topic isn’t it, so hopefully you’d at least get some clarification of the situation via your MP. In our area GP surgeries are booking for a couple of nearby mass vaccination centres. When they contacted me, they booked both parts of the jab at the same time, but my partners’ GP is part of a group of 3 local surgeries acting together as a vaccination hub. He was contacted today to book his first vaccination but they only book the jabs one at a time and say they will contact him when his turn comes for the second part. Apparently this is because vaccine supplies are pre-designated on delivery, so they can’t book second dose patients until they have the specific batches for that group. Seems to be a fair amount of discrepancy in different areas.

I have my second one on the 1st of May. I had my first on the 4th of February. Not exactly 12 weeks but not a problem.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

The problem with changing centres CleoPanda is that some centres only do one type of vaccine. Son and I had pfizer at a GP led centre; we can't choose a dkfferent GP centre as here they are allocated according to which surgery you go to. The nearest mass centre only does Astro Zeneca

We had ours in mid Jan, told next would be 12 weeks and we’d be texted ( by GP, mustn’t phone them), that will be mid April I guess, however many have got their second appointment straight away.

I had an NHS letter asking me to book online which I did, and was able to book a second jab at the same time. First on Feb. 1st, second on April 20th. It does seem that if you are contacted by your GP first, as my friends were, you will only get a one date, with a promise of one later.

Last evening Matt Hancock said that even if the under 50s have to wait, everyone else will get their second jab.

suziewoozie

This isn’t good enough. We were assured they had planned for the rollout of the second dose. Your mum has done all she can - would she ( or let you ) contact your MP or else your local Health Watch. Good luck

Things happen suziewoozie. Apparently, it is half of an order from the Serum Institute of India which has been delayed. The company has said that there have been shortfalls of vials, glass, plastic and stoppers which come from the US. What would you suggest we do about it?

We have been ahead of the rollout, which gives us flexibility when this sort of thing happens. The current focus is now squarely on ensuring the delivery of vaccines to everyone in priority groups 1-9: that is, the over-50s and everyone over 16 in an at-risk group, and on delivering second doses.

Although we seem now to have a culture of blame for anything and everything this doesn't seem to be anyone's fault. To quote an article I read this morning, the process seems to be reliably unpredictable and we were told that could well be the case.

As for the OP's mum. Ring the GP surgery and remind them. It's the only way you will find out what is happening.

Do you know what? I think the NHS is making an absolutely amazing job of getting this vaccine rolled out. It’s a massive undertaking and we are streets ahead of most other countries. Two of my daughters are working their socks off doing their normal health visitor jobs in the week and then extra shifts at the weekend to vaccinate. I am very thankful.

Helen
I agree, the logistics must be almost impossible. Cheers to your daughters and all the volunteers taking part.

We had our second jab yesterday, exactly 11 weeks after the first. It was organised by our GP at the local community centre and all went very smoothly.

We’ve also got a problem because we’ve moved recently to Sussex from Devon where DH and myself had our first vaccination DH in January and me 5 weeks ago. We’ve signed on with a new GP and the receptionist has told me because we’ve moved areas (5/6 hours away) we’ve got to go back to Devon to have our second vaccination which with our health conditions its completely out of the question! We both had the Pfizer vaccine and apparently our new GP surgery is only sent the Oxford one and only enough vaccine for the patients that have only been done so far with no extra which is utterly ridiculous. I’ve phoned the helpline and they can’t help us! Has anyone else moved areas and got the same problem? My DH is due to have his second shortly and I’ve no idea anymore what to do, the move has been stressful enough without this worry. If we don’t have the second one it will be through no fault of our own but it will stop us being able to go on holidays, cruises, mix with people in the future plus whatever else the government bring in rule wise in the future.

Of course the NHS is doing a great job but here we have an elderly woman who had her first second dose cancelled. The surgery don’t seem to appreciate how concerned she must be feeling to be told they don’t know when she’ll get it. This isn’t good enough and there’s no excuse for it. Surgeries are receiving funding for this work and should use some of it by employing maybe a temp to sort out problems like this.

Some areas have two systems running alongside each other. One is the National Health service booking system which offers you the second appointment at the time of booking the first. The local scheme usually doesn't let you book the second and it says they "will contact you shortly" re the second jab, which means round twelve weeks later. I know this because I chased it up as I didn't know why I didn't get a second appointment straight away. You can't book through the national NHS if you are in the local scheme. NHS119 are only dealing with Oxford AZ vaccines. You need to wait for the text or call or contact the surgery /practice running your local scheme if nothing happens in a week. Bit chaotic at the mo due to the rush to vaccinate all 50+ as soon as possible. Very impressed with the rollout myself. I think its very important to get the majority of the population done ASAP to damp down this pandemic, so we can all get back to normal. The first dose is very effective, both AZ and Pfizer, and will prevent any serious illness. We will all get the second jab. No one will be forgotten I'm sure! The first jab is the most important.