Question about recording of vaccinations - any GPs/practice nurses about?

[toomuchtooold]

Quick question about the recording of vaccines. My DD1 has just had her third tick-borne encephalitis vaccine, but the GP's surgery has only got one previous vaccine recorded for her. I know what actually happened:

DD1 and DD2 were booked in to get injection 1 in June. DD2 was too scared, so only DD1 got it.

I booked a second appointment in July, and this time both DDs got the vaccine - so, DD1 for the first time, DD2 for the second.

I booked DD2 a third appointment in October and then she had her second TBE vaccine.

The GP surgery only has one injection recorded for the July appointment - DD2's. I don't know exactly what the confusion was, but I suspect it has to do with the fact that for the June appointment, they had already recorded the vaccines for both the girls and then had to edit the entry on DD2's because she never actually got the injection.

I don't work in the medical field but I used to work as a chemist in pharma production and you'd get into trouble for doing that - recording that you'd done something before it was actually done, and then going back and changing the record (they actually tippexed over the incorrect entry, which if you were manufacturing the vaccine rather than administering it would result in disciplinary procedures at least). Most of the time it doesn't matter, I suppose, but in this case I think it's led to the mix-up which means my DD1 now needs to get an extra injection next year for them to be sure she's actually covered.

I'm thinking about writing them a letter of complaint, so I just wanted to poll opinion if there's any GPs or nurses around who deal with this stuff day to day. Do you think this is bad? I think it's bad. I can't prove anything, as they only have the records that they have - but I know DD1 had both those injections last year, I would never have left her vulnerable to TBE - the kids get at least four or five ticks a year here.

Do you not have it recorded anywhere yourself. I presume you aren't in the UK. We have the red books here where they record the immunisations.

Not in the UK. We have yellow books here :-) Yes, it was recorded on her yellow book but today when I took her in, we handed over the yellow book and when we got it back from the GP the last line had been tippexed over and the details of today's injection were written on top. I assume that when she looked at the computer record it didn't fit the yellow book, so that's why she made a "correction". But the book was correct, not the computer record.

I should have taken my own copy but I didn't think I needed to. I've taken photos of both the kids' books now and will double check and photograph them after each injection.

In the UK you would have to sign a vaccination consent form if children have vaccinations not on the schedule eg travel and flu. These forms are then sent off to child health and copies of the signed consent form scanned on their surgery records. GP Receptionist.

usually the vial has got a sticker with vaccine and batch etc on which is/should be peeled off and put in the vaccine record (I showed this to an nhs nurse who was amazed)

that way

• no injection no sticker to peel off
• batch is recorded at same time in case of issues
• no writers cramp from scribbling the numbers into the tiny space in the book

They get recorded on the central database I think. When DD was volunteering at the local hospital they needed an up to date list of all her vaccinations. The GP just gave her a printout of every vaccination from her 8 week DTP to present day (she is 18).