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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be very cross at the surgery regarding 8 week immunisations.

56 replies

CornishPasties · 05/02/2020 14:51

I went this morning to have my 8 week postnatal check up and for my DS to have his first set of immunisations. After waiting 2 hours after my initial appointment time which with a small baby was pretty frustrating I had my appointment and all was fine. I was then led through to the nurses room to sort out the immunisations to be told they could not do them as he is not 8 weeks until tomorrow! At no point did anyone inform me of this problem in the time I was waiting and nor did they contact me to change the date before I arrived despite the letter for the appointments arriving 2 weeks ago.

This is all very annoying but the thing that's really pissed me off is that instead of admitting a mistake they told me I should have double checked as he wasnt going to be 8 weeks and it was my fault for not querying the appointment date. They then informed me it had wasted an appointment and to make sure in future baby was old enough!

Am I unreasonable to be thoroughly pissed off at their attitude? Also would it have actually mattered if he'd of had the jabs today or can he really only have them once he is 8 weeks old?

OP posts:
nicslackey · 05/02/2020 14:52

Jobs worths imho. I feel your frustration.

TheDarkPassenger · 05/02/2020 14:55

Im impressed you waited 2 hours! I’d have walked for sure.

Surely the 8 week thing can be done one day before? I admit I’m not a medical professional but my children weighed differently and were of different sizes by 8 weeks. One of my babies was 2lb larger than tother for a start!

Original poster
CornishPasties · 05/02/2020 15:00

To be fair I only waited becuase it was for his immunisations anything else I would have left.

Surely the 8 week thing can be done one day before?

Well I figured it would be fine but apparently not Hmm and if I was to be very pedantic he would be being given them less than 12 hours before he was born as he was born very early in the morning.

OP posts:
BadEyeBri · 05/02/2020 15:07

it's not to do with weight or size- vaccines aren't a weight dependent doasage. It's to do with the maturity of the child's immune system and factors affecting this. The vaccine manufacturers will have very specific guidelines on what age the injections can be given and the health center have to adhere to these. Their hands are tied really. It seems a little thing but actually it can be fairly important. It would annoy me too (having to wait and rebook) but then in the grand scheme of things it's 2 hours and when your baby has the vaccine you can be sure that the timing will not be correct and your baby will be protected.

Lorgillelm · 05/02/2020 15:11

I had exactly the same thing happen with my little girls 3rd lot of immunisations. The doctors rang me just as I was getting her out of the car telling me they couldnt carry out the injections cos it’s was a day too early and they have to be exactly 4 weeks apart! 😡 it was 10 minutes before the appointment!

Original poster
CornishPasties · 05/02/2020 15:17

I had exactly the same thing happen with my little girls 3rd lot of immunisations

As harsh as this may sound its quite nice to know its not just my surgery who are incompitant. Although I also sympathise that you had a similar experience. Surely its not difficult to check how old the baby is or when they last had their jabs before issuing thr appointments??

OP posts:
PawPatrolMakesMeDrink · 05/02/2020 15:24

Hiya, practice nurse here. I give these jabs.
Sorry you had such a crappy time of it, whoever booked your appointment should have booked an appropriate date to start with, it’s unfair to expect new parents to know the ins and outs of vaccine timing!

I wouldn’t give the immunisation a day before, not because of weights etc but I’m bound to administer them under set parameters, it’s called a PGD, they’re set by the NHS at a high level. If I gave them at a time at odds with that I’m basically administering a non prescribed drug which is a massive no no.

SiblingStruggle · 05/02/2020 15:29

I had the same thing happen with my smear test! I was bombarded with letters reminding me to book it, which I did. It was 2 days before my 25th birthday and they refused to do it because I wasn't yet 25. They then told me off for booking it too early. They still blamed me, even when shown the letters which didn't mention anything about needing to be a certain age... Angry

You are definitely not unreasonable to be cross, especially given how long you were kept waiting

SeaViewBliss · 05/02/2020 15:34

YANBU - they should either make it clear when you book that they cannot do them even a day early or, as at the practice I used to work at - the Receptionist booking was required to work out the date when they were exactly 8 weeks old and book it after that date.

This happens a lot in practices and I cannot understand why they don't join up the dots and make sure the staff booking know how important it is to make it clear.

Original poster
CornishPasties · 05/02/2020 15:42

They should either make it clear when you book that they cannot do them even a day early

Thats the frustrating thing i called up whne he was 6 weeks to book and was told that i couldnt book it and they would send me an appointment. If they wont let the patient book then the very least they could do is make appointments that are suitable and dont waste everyone's time.

OP posts:
cptartapp · 05/02/2020 15:52

I also give these jabs. She wasn't being a 'jobsworth', the nurse is unable to administer them even a day early outside the remit of the PGD. She was quite correct.
Not your fault though. All staff and patients need to be better informed.

Shookethtothecore · 05/02/2020 15:58

They cancelled my daughters 16 week ones last week because she had the 12 week ones on a Friday and this was 4 weeks later but the Wednesday so 2 days short. I said I’m ok with it and had sorted childcare ect for my other children and they would not budge, there must be some legal reason it has to be so precise. Waiting 2 hours is obscene tho

moobar · 05/02/2020 15:59

I had a similar upset with Dd eight week ones, albeit caused by chemist.

I got letter, with a 8.30am appointment. Fine. It said to give calpol two hours before. I am in Scotland, it said take this letter to the pharmacy, make sure baby is registered there and collect calpol.

I trotted off to the pharmacy, with my letter. She would not give me calpol because Dd was not eight weeks old until the appointment day, they did not open until 8.30am on that day.

Now, come on!!

I went to sainsburys and bought calpol. However, it's not really the point. Someone else may not have been in a position to do that and I must admit she made me feel shit for even trying to buy it before she was eight weeks.

Same pharmacist then refused to sell me anbesol for teething. No longer recommended, won't sell it. Gah!!

bigbluebus · 05/02/2020 16:04

So you're saying that they actually sent you that appointment? I'd be filing a complaint if that's the case so that they can review their system and make sure they don't make the same mistake again. It seems that some surgeries are guilty of wasting their own appointments and then blaming it on the patients. I had an appointment for holiday jabs at my surgery. In order to get them I had to collect a printout of previous jabs from the surgery to take to an appointment at Boots travel clinic 20 miles away. Once Boots had confirmed what I needed and that they were available on the NHS I was able to make an appointment at our GP surgery. On booking the appt I told them exactly which jabs I needed and receptionist noted it down. Imagine my surprise when I got into the appt to be told that one of the injections wasn't in stock (Tetanus so hardly unusual and highly likely to be needed at short notice I'd have thought). I was then asked if I could go to their other surgery 5 miles away that afternoon. So that was a 20 min appointment at our surgery wasted - not to mention my time - due to THEIR inefficiency.

TooGlamToGiveADamnn · 05/02/2020 16:09

I've had the same OP. Surgery bombard you with letters about booking appointments, tried to call and was told they don't book that far in advance even thought the waiting time for an appointment was 6 weeks Hmm to then receive an appointment date, which I rang up to double check was okay as baby wasn't quite 8 weeks, assured me it was fine, nurse refused on the day.

They then had a go at me because he would now be late on his immunisations every time. Baffles me to this day.

Gammeldragz · 05/02/2020 16:09

Unfortunately the admin staff who make the appointments don't always know the rules, the nurse giving them does but we don't always have time to check in advance. As PP said, it's the PGDs and we can't legally give even a day early. Same for the 4 week rule, but I book ours their next one when I give the first dose so that doesn't happen. Really annoying for you though!

The smear thing, I'm pretty sure if you've had the letter then it can be done before you're 25, so that may have been the nurse's error.

waterbottle12 · 05/02/2020 16:09

We're not allowed to give them before 8 weeks and could be in masses of legal trouble if we did. So we would book at 8 weeks +6 days rather than 7 weeks + 6 days. The not giving them is correct, the 2 hours wait and the fact that the appt was booked in the first place are the problems.

Original poster
CornishPasties · 05/02/2020 16:55

It actually suprises me that this appears ro be so common. You would think that if it has to be exactly 8 weeks or older then the people making the appointments would know that. I just presumed it would be a generic timescale and the fact he wasnt 8 weeks until tomorrow wouldnt make any difference.

So you're saying that they actually sent you that appointment?

Yes they booked the appointment. Obviously I wouldnt want anyone to get into trouble for doing them early but equally I think its pretty crap to blame the patients for wasting appointments when all I was doing was attending the appointment they had booked me.

OP posts:
cologne4711 · 05/02/2020 17:00

I would have gone far sooner than 2 hours. Our GPs says to go to reception if you've been waiting more for 20 minutes.

As for the suggestion you should have checked because he's a day off 8 weeks old. Cheeky mares. I'd have something to say about that.

We're not allowed to give them before 8 weeks and could be in masses of legal trouble if we did

I'm struggling to see how a new mother is supposed to know that and query the date.

NHS facilities all have big signs up about abuse, but they do have a major attitude problem. They seem to think that because it is free (at point of need) you just have to suck up their rudeness.

cologne4711 · 05/02/2020 17:01

They then had a go at me because he would now be late on his immunisations every time

Sad
ShinyRuby · 05/02/2020 17:26

YANBU, it's a matter of hours before he's 8 weeks.
As for the 2 hour wait, grrrrr.
When I took DD1 for her first immunizations we waited for nearly an hour. I'd booked a 9am appointment, the first of the day in baby clinic. Whilst waiting I saw the nurse come in at 9.15, spend time chatting at reception, getting a drink etc etc. Eventually got called in an hour late with a very grumpy baby.
When I questioned the appointment time I was told (very patronisingly) that I couldn't possibly expect a baby clinic to run to time & obviously didn't know much about babies but I would learn! Eh?? We were the first appointment! I felt sorry for everyone else still waiting.
That was years ago but it doesn't sound like they've improved much.

Original poster
CornishPasties · 05/02/2020 17:39

I felt sorry for everyone else still waiting

There were about 4 other babies in the waiting room all with parents as flustered as myself. I felt empathy with all of them as theres little you can do to stop such a small baby being fussy and it was pretty warm at the surgery.

That was years ago but it doesn't sound like they've improved much

It doesnt sound like they have. I have to admit I also felt awful for anyone else in the waiting area who had to listen to so many crying babies, it was no doubt not what they needed when feeling unwell. To be honest I wish they had just told us it was running so late and to go away and maybe call us when we had got to near the top of the queue or tell us to come back in an hour. Surely that would have been better than just making everyone wait.

OP posts:
waterbottle12 · 05/02/2020 19:15

@ShinyRuby those hours could get the HCP who gave the vaccination into serious trouble. We don't make the rules but we have to work within them

Brefugee · 05/02/2020 19:23

We don't make the rules but we have to work within them

then it's not too much to ask that you make the appointments properly and aren't snotty to new parents.

OP I'd have been gone after 30 minutes.

Cremebrule · 05/02/2020 20:07

Im surprised they booked you in. My practice has always double checked dob when I’ve called to book the jabs. Running that late when you’ve got babies is just painful especially if they need a feed or a sleep etc. But, I try to think that a lot to the time very late running appointments can be because of emergencies or breaking bad news so as annoying as it is for me, someone else has probably had a far worse morning.