I've read of all three methods being used to invite patients for vaccinations. Presumably some people do not have mobile phones. First time we had texts and a date and time without any choice.
Now after ten weeks we had texts with a link to use to book appointments. My link did not work so I copied the link to my computer and it worked from there. I put in the wrong day for my date of birth and it rejected me. Correcting it I was offered times for March second and third and the option to ask for another day. We got replies by text and were told that we could cancel or change our dates.
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seasider18
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I had a letter from my doctor's surgery with a number on the front page to ring to book an appointment. If you rang this you were offered a vaccine 30 miles a way. Over the page was a statement saying you could wait and your doctor's surgery would contact you with an appointment 8 miles away. After friends had made the mistake of doing this I knew what to do.
A second page gave information in many different languages.
We both received letters within a couple of days, both in same age bracket, but these were directly from the nhs giving us a website to book or we could wait for our Gp to contact us.Our surgery had sent texts out saying not to contact them about vaccinations they would contact us.
Thought we would wait for the gp as it would be more likely to be local and we could hopefully go together. Had visions of being sent miles away.
Well we waited and waited and heard nothing, heard on the news that over 45s will soon be next up and thought hang on a minute! We are both over 65!
Contacted the surgery by their app and got told “sorry we can’t do that at the moment, book online”
!!!!! Couldn’t they have sent a text?!! A blanket one like when they told us not to call?
Used the website and it was easy, about 5 miles away, did both of us as quickly as possible online and got appointments within 5 minutes of each other, knocked back a couple of times as others would have been booking at the same time, but really pleased with the ones we got and 2nd appointments booked as well.
I thought it’s typical of me to be a good little patient and do as told and not contact, we could have had it done a couple of weeks ago : (
Still won’t be going anywhere till well after our second jab but might not be as scared walking around supermarket : )
Strange that it is not left to one location to contact you. Does your surgery do their own vaccinations or join up with others as most seem to do in a place more able to deal with numbers.
I honestly don’t know what they are doing, checking on their website on the front page, they are still saying wait for the them to contact if you want to be local, other than that they are saying it’s a location twenty odd miles away.
Fortunately our vaccination centre is nearby in Eastbourne 's Beacon shopping centre (used to be the Arndale before it was extended)
Our first one was on the Saturday before Christmas and the centre was packed with shoppers and a huge queue for the vaccinations as they were running two hours late as the vaccine had been late in arriving and ours was the last appointment of the day.
Yesterday was very different as when we arrived five minutes early for our 2.20 appointment it was straight in with only one patient in front of us. There were half a dozen waiting outside as we left after our fifteen minute rest. No stickers for our coats this time to say that we had been done.
With weeks of experience behind them our jabs were totally painless and one could have doubted they had been done although my wife made a pained expression that she later said had just been in anticipation. She normally has a painful arm after any vaccination but not this time. I only noticed mine when I laid down at night. And neither have any reaction today although first time it was day two before I felt even more tired and achey than usual for a couple of days.
Letter if from the NHS Direct inviting you to ring to make an appointment at one of the mass vaccination centres - telephone if from your own GP surgery. I’ve never heard of anyone getting a text but some GP surgeries may do it differently.
There are so many scams going around that you need to be really careful so I would check out any text message very thoroughly.
I had both a NHS letter, a text from our surgery and then another text inviting me to go to St George’s hospital for the vaccination. As that’s where I treated for AF, I wondered if there was a connection. It can be confusing!
The centre where we went was split in two sections, one for those who booked via the NHS letter, the other organized by a group of nine medical centres. For both there was a strict rule no admittance to the grounds of the centre before 15 minutes before your appointment. The centre was at an agricultural showground in the countryside.
We arrived 12 minutes before stayed in the car once parked close to the centre as it was raining heavily. Arrived at the centre 1 minute early, and about 18 minutes later we'd had our jabs, waited sitting afterwards for 15 minutes, went out the back door of the centre and were back in the car to drive home.
Sounds like you are all set seasider, all this technology can be quite daunting for us oldies but once you get used to it, it can make life easier. Hope you are keeping well, great that Spring has all but Sprung!!
I was in almost at the start of computer technology in the early 60's as I worked for Ferranti then a major British electronics/engineering company.The department I worked for made the guidance system for Concorde and a range of systems for military planes and missiles.
If you don't know the story of the demise of Ferranti you should Google it as they were caught up in a massive con trick. The story would make a great movie.
The vaccination process in our area was organized by 6 surgeries who worked together & by the 1st week of the Pfizer vaccine being approved were vaccinating 300/day. It’s been seamless & very efficient yet thorough. Often much easier to organize with large numbers - it’s the small surgeries without the admin & support staff who may struggle.
NHS letter giving details of booking by phone or online, or to ignore letter and wait for own GP to contact. Email from GP 3 days later with suggested date and time for jabs for 3 of us, all over 75 at the same address including date and time for 2nd jabs. Jabs done at same location as those booked via NHS letter in a different part of that building.
How long to wait for the second one ? Our second one should have been on January 9th but they changed the rules two days before. At least two other local practices stuck with the three week ruling.
I had a letter from the local health board with place, (at a large centre) date and time and a free number to call if I needed to cancel. I did try to ring it twice as I would have liked an appointment early in the morning as my appointment was at 4 but the number wasn't recognised - I think there must have been something wrong with hooking up the line or something as my wife has used the line since. Anyway I just kept it to the appointment time I had, and ended up having my jab 70 mins later than appointment and queuing up outside in the dark in freezing rain and wind with about 120 other people in early Feb! So far my wife hasn't heard anything in anyway from either the booking centre or GP and we have called both to see what is happening as she has been shielding apart from that short few weeks in August, September and October since last March and even without being told to shield should be in the current age group cohort to get the vaccine. Last spoke to the GP a week ago yesterday and she said she would find out so if we don't here by the week end will call again on Monday next. It will be nice when most people who can or will have had the vaccine.
Barely, then when it started raining they tried to get us all under cover but then there was no way we could socially distance so most decided to get wet!
Same happens outside our post office. We have to time a visit there not to coincide with either a mail collection or a bus when it is raining. Small PO with bus stop and shelter and post box outdside. Only two customers allowed in shop/PO so you can wait outside sheltering under the bus shelter but not if there are people there waiting for the bus! LOL!
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