COVID vaccine

[craftyone]

I cannot get my spring booster jab. I am housebound and the only time I go out is to hospital appointments by ambulance transport. My other jabs have been done at home but no one will come out to administer the booster. I have contacted 119, GP 3 hospitals, NHS website and government website. Is anyone else struggling like me or know who I should contact.

[Troilus]

Hi craftyone. Have you ever been visited by district nurses for anything?I don’t know how it works where you are but here (NE) once they have visited you “stay on the books,” which means you can contact them directly.

Other than that, could you GP arrange transport to a drop in session?

[craftyone in reply to Troilus]

My GP surgery told me they are having nothing to do with the vaccines and told me to ring 119, I have the district nurse come out every 6 weeks. I mentioned the vaccine last time they were here and I was told they have to get a referral from my GP. I'm just going around in circles it is very frustrating.

[BreatheasyBe]

It must be so infuriating for you going round in circles. I understand your concerns even though you aren’t going out you have nurses coming to you who may be putting you at risk. Can you call the district nurses before they come round and ask if there are any involved in the vaccination process who may be able to collect a dose of the vaccine to take to your next visit?

[craftyone in reply to BreatheasyBe]

Hi I did ask one nurse she told me they have to wait for GP to contact them but the GP says it's nothing to do with them. I have carer's coming in as well as nurses. I caught COVID early December and I was really poorly with it, I am immune surpressed. The numbers are rising in my area quite rapidly .

[BreatheasyBe in reply to craftyone]

That’s so annoying. I do think there’s real problems with the allocation this time round and Ill thought out plans have been made. I’d suggest writing to you local mp and copy communication to gp, community nurses and anyone else involved in your care. Hopefully they’ll all up their step and communicate to get a quick resolution for you.

[craftyone in reply to BreatheasyBe]

Thank you for that, I hadn't thought of my MP , I did contact the head of Derby and Derbyshire NHS trust and even the response from them was they're nothing to do with vaccines, unbelievable. I will contact the MP on Monday may take a while to get a response but worth a try.

[Photoschnau]

Hi .. I thought I’d replied earlier but it doesn’t seem to have appeared!My mum is 86, housebound and has full time live in care.

She was one of the last to be vaccinated the first and second time despite communication with GPS at the time

The booster before this one I became so frustrated, on her behalf at yet another delay, that I wrote to her MP, with a complaint at the lack of care in organising vaccinations for housebound. Magically she received the vaccination 3 days later!

Apparently it is the CCG who have responsibility for ensuring delivery of vaccinations. This is the Care Commissioning Group that I understand is locally run in each area. The one I dealt with was in south Devon area.

I hope this may help in some way.

It is indeed a frustrating and worrying situation.

[craftyone in reply to Photoschnau]

Thank you for your reply. I will definitely get in touch with my MP. The assumption is that because you are housebound you aren't susceptible to COVID, they forget about carers and other people who enter the house, I caught COVID, who would have thought it. I'm afraid we are put to the bottom of the pile for many things.Thank you again.

[Monty11]

My husband asked at his last review and was told that he is not eligible (he’s 61) and should wait for the next vaccine around September/October

[craftyone in reply to Monty11]

Hi it seems to me it's a lottery system around the country. Why are people receiving emails from the NHS inviting you for your vaccines or boosters but there is no way of getting it. I've come to the conclusion that one hand doesn't know what the other is doing. If I had the energy to do it I would contact my local newspaper and tell them exactly what is happening, but I need my energy to keep fighting this evil disease. I hope your husband will receive his vaccine soon.

[Thepainterswife]

We are in exactly the same boat craftyone. My husband is housebound and has had all his vaccines at home but not this one 🤷🏻‍♀️ He has had several reminders urging him to get the booster but on phoning the Gp after receiving the reminders the Gp says they are not dealing with them , hubbys name has been passed to whoever does (???) and he will be on their list . Geoff really needed the vaccine as he was due to have a cataract op on the 15th of this month and the paperwork stated he must be up to date with the vaccines .As it happens we’ve had to reschedule the op and last week Geoff was referred to palliative care , the nurse who visited is taking up the challenge on our behalf so watch this space 🤞

[craftyone in reply to Thepainterswife]

Isn't it ridiculous. Why keep saying you must get your boosters when surely they are aware of patients situations. I hope your husband is successful and his operation goes well.

[Thepainterswife in reply to craftyone]

Thank you . It is so ridiculous not least because (on top of everything else ) every time another message comes through the anxiety levels shoot up ! I hope you are able to sort out your own situation soon 🙏

[katieoxo60]

This is just a suggestion, in some areas they will send a car from the surgery . Or the NHS service for hospital transport may be able to advise you so worth ringing them. Other idea is contact your local social services by ringing the council customer services. If all else fails do you have a local newspaper or MP you could contact. In some cases they make you use a Taxi . Age Uk may be able to advise also.Good Luck

[craftyone in reply to katieoxo60]

Thank you for your reply. I'm wheelchair bound and on oxygen so the taxis refuse to carry me. I will look into your other suggestions though. Thank you.

[katieoxo60 in reply to craftyone]

Some taxi companies have special wheelchair access vehicles., so do social service vehicles it should really be a community nurse in my opinion. You should be on a special list with NHS anyway. Best Wishes

[Alberta56]

I hope you and every one who is being given the runaround fights their way through this ridiculous situation and gets the jabs they need. We should not have to struggle to get these essential vaccinations. xxx

[craftyone in reply to Alberta56]

Thank you, it makes me wonder how such a serious problem can arise as the numbers of cases are rising quite rapidly again.

[Alberta56]

I don't wish to sound paranoid, but I sometimes wonder if they really have our interests at heart.

[craftyone in reply to Alberta56]

Sometimes I think we are a burden on the NHS in their minds. I have noticed a big change in the quality of care recently.

[Blue58]

Looks like a bit of a lottery depending on where you live. I'm housebound and my GP contacted me to tell me they were coming out to give me my booster. I would reiterate what others have said and contact your MP. Should be the same service for all of us no matter where we choose to live and if not I'd ask why. Used to be in Derbyshire but moved out of the area several years ago.

[craftyone in reply to Blue58]

I thought that GP surgeries were supposed to be getting back to a normal service but it doesn't appear so. My GP has just retired which I have been dreading as she was amazing with me, now I haven't got a clue who it is. It really makes me feel like what is the point in pushing for this as I am tired of it all. I will contact my MP asap.

[Higger]

I don't know if it's the same in your area as mine, but when I phoned to ask the District Nurses about vaccination at home they said they must have a form from my GP. They contacted my Surgery and told them exactly what they needed. They got it (electronically) and both my husband and I were vaccinated at home by the District Nurses. Some time later I had a telephone appointment with my Consultant at the Hospital Chest Clinic and asked him to write to my GP to request that I be vaccinated at home. Since then I have been vaccinated at home as part of the GP vaccination programme. I am 76, Very Severe COPD, (FEV 20), significant caring responsibilities for my very disabled husband. To be honest, I couldn't get to the surgery now. Not physically capable. The staff at the surgery seem to take notice of paid health care workers ie District Nurses and Consultants . Unpaid health care workers, such as myself, seem to be taken much less seriously even though they are the ones "at the sharp end" who do most of the work.

[horseygirl_0103]

ive had an experience where my GP has said theyre not doing it straight off but this time they contacted me & told me a set of choices where I could have it

[craftyone in reply to horseygirl_0103]

It really is a postcode lottery. We have one NHS, one government and a pandemic. Everyone should be treated the same way. I don't think they realise the amount of stress and pressure this puts on to patients.

[horseygirl_0103 in reply to craftyone]

i had the moderna one -so now ive had them all -x2 astra zeneca 1 pfizer & one moderna Hopefully I should be elligible for the autum one -The guy in the chemist who did it WASNT WEARING A MASK!!!! I was stunned