GP has no appointments for babies first vaccine

[Poniesandgin]

Sorry posting here for traffic.

Baby is 8 weeks old. I have tried multiple times to book in for the first vaccinations but was told no and that I had to wait until she was 8 weeks to make the appointment.

Now she is 8 weeks they don’t have any appointments until she is 10 weeks meaning the vaccine is 2 weeks late.

So does this mean my baby is more at risk by waiting? Surely if the NHS guideline is 8 weeks then that’s when it should be done

Thanks everyone who’s replied!

@LIZS I don’t mind who does it but I can’t get anywhere with anyone. I’ve tried ringing new doctors today but there’s a 2 week delay in registrations so even if I move today she won’t be seen for 14 days which is still over the dates. My GP uses a nurse I think who is also booked.

I know chances are she will be fine and the risks are tiny however the reason vaccines are due at 8 weeks is because of waivering maternal antibodies, who’s to say how safe my baby is really and I don’t think it’s right that a receptionist is making that call for my child.
I also don’t think it’s right they won’t check my new baby, what if I miss something and delay treatment for weeks. I know again chances are tiny but the checks are there for a reason surely.

So where do I go from here? Can I complain about a gp to somewhere else because the actual practice couldn’t give a crap

It’s not a problem having them late but it’s not ideal. Sometimes they’re delayed by illness, logistics or preference.

Baby definitely needs a 6-8 week check though - we won’t immunise babies unless they’ve had this.

(Nurse practitioner here. And no GPs don’t do baby immunisations, the practice nurses/NPs do. In some areas HVs do them, but rarely.)

Bear in mind they may just have no availability. I’m an NP and our clinics are rammed, not helped by colleagues being off with suspected Covid, or having to isolate due to children having Covid.

It does seem a bit poorly managed though, we get babies booked in for the what was a 6 week check at 8 weeks with the GP then into the nurse for their imms. We arrange this at 5-6 weeks so it’s all booked ahead.

I think an email to the practice manager suggesting a change to the way they book baby checks and imms is revised - waiting until the baby is actually 8 weeks is stupid.

I never booked mine. I always just got an appointment through from the health visitor team.

I’ve just had a message from my GP practice that they are drastically reducing all non urgent appointments as they concentrate on delivering the booster covid vaccine. They will only be allowing urgent appointments to be booked. Maybe this is why you can’t get in

The six week baby check is also important, they recheck for heart murmurs, check for cataracts, check hips are not dislocatable. That also needs arranging.

Well it's OK unless your a by is exposed to something in the mean time. As someone who's Dd caught whooping cough a week before her first vaccine, yes I'd be concerned about delaying it

It’s not a problem having them late but it’s not ideal. Sometimes they’re delayed by illness, logistics or preference.

It's not a problem unless they catch one of the diseases being vaccinated against in the mean time

Pretty sure one of mine had hers late due to being unwell and they were not concerned if it was exactly 8 weeks.

The vaccinations are important, I don't want to imply anything else, but remember the schedule was set when these diseases were still commonplace and living conditions were far worse than today for the majority of the population. Mine were vaccinated overseas and they start them at 12 weeks anyway.

Congratulations on you dc

@liveforsummer

It’s not a problem having them late but it’s not ideal. Sometimes they’re delayed by illness, logistics or preference.

It's not a problem unless they catch one of the diseases being vaccinated against in the mean time

Well obviously. I meant it’s not a problem clinically, as in it’s not that they won’t work, or can’t be given.

First imms are given FROM 8 weeks, and not before. It’s optimal to give them as close to 8 weeks as possible but not always doable, so we give them as soon as we can.

However it does sound like the OPs surgery is a bit crap. There’s no reason they can’t be booked before 8 weeks, and all babies should have a baby check.

Hi, i work in a GP practice myself. It doesn't matter if you have your childs imms a few weeks later and it won't push back their other ones. It just affects our payment

My second child had his immunisations at 6,12 and 14 months due to a total miscalculation by me! Third child had theirs at 4 8 and 12 months. Eldest did have them at 2,3&4 months . None have had any long lasting effects and are all
Disgustingly healthy managing to miss all school bugs, vomiting and flu like through to sixth form!

@NegativeNelly

Hi, i work in a GP practice myself. It doesn't matter if you have your childs imms a few weeks later and it won't push back their other ones. It just affects our payment

It does push back the other ones, as they have to be at least 4 weeks apart.

So instead of 8, 12 and 16 weeks it might be 10, 14 and 18 weeks, for example.