Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to turn up to a vaccination appointment that isn't mine?

127 replies

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 31/03/2021 21:02

Situation is that I keep getting vaccination appointment letters for two people who haven't lived at this address for many years, if they ever did (I've never heard of them).

I've tried ringing the cancellation line, but can never get through - you just get cut off, so it's not even a case of being on hold for ages.

I've tried returning the letters to sender with a note on the front - to no avail.

I tried calling the nearest GP - they were unable to help.

Every time these people are "no shows" at their vaccination appointment, they issue a new letter with a new date and time, so yet more appointments are wasted.

In the local press today there's a story about staff being "in tears" and vaccinations going to waste due to 'no shows'.

So, having tried and failed to tell them that these people no longer live here, WIBU to turn up at the correct appointment slot, explain and see if I can get jabbed?

OP posts:
yeOldeTrout · 01/04/2021 10:57

yeah me too, I didn't just get an appointment & told to turn up. It was an invitation to book an appt.

greenlynx · 01/04/2021 11:04

You could turn up at the relevant appointment time and explain the situation. It will look strange but if you are ok with this and have free time, who cares? Just be polite and don’t argue in case of refusal.

By the way situation with the spare vaccines might be very different in different areas by the way. Our local newspaper reported yesterday that out of 2 vaccination centres near by one had no missed appointments and the other had just a few.

twoshedsjackson · 01/04/2021 11:05

Different centres seem to run things in different ways; a friend of mine's husband, older than her, had his jab, and casually asked, "My wife's in the car, it's not her "turn" yet, but since she's here......"
It was the end of the day, and they were happy to use the dose up and amend their records to save another appointment.
If you have the time and inclination to go, at least you can set the record straight and stop the wasted letters and appointments.

LemonTT · 01/04/2021 11:07

The letter is not confirming appointment. It is offering the named recipient the choice to book.

The letter shouldn’t be opened. It should be returned.

The NHS cannot (for perfectly valid reasons) automatically change gp registration details because this would remove the person from the gp list. It will do eventually but not on first try and following national processes. The vaccination centre definitely won’t do it

The overwhelming GP standard offer of a vaccination is to do it 3 times. The letters from the NBS are issued nationally in standard formats.

It would be beyond exceptional that a gp practice is sending our letters never mind 6 of them.

No you won’t get vaccinated if you aren’t eligible at most centres.

zafferana · 01/04/2021 11:09

I'd just keep returning to sender OP. You won't be vaccinated if you show up in their place (I volunteer at vaccine centres and we have to check everyone's ID and make sure they have a booking ref no).

UseYourIllusion · 01/04/2021 11:09

@RampantIvy

You could try but I've just been for mine an hour ago and there is no way I would have been allowed In without my name and NHS number.

That is the case. I wasn't allowed in to the vaccination hub without showing the text I received with my number on.

When I went there was a woman at the door with a clip board. She asked my name, put a tick against it on her board and ushered me in. At no point was I asked for ID, NHS Number, text message or anything else.
LemonTT · 01/04/2021 11:13

Most vaccine centres use AZ which can be stored. A vial once punctured can be used for 6 hours. If a dose is drawn up at the end of day and there are no more people the at most 8 or 10 doses are wasted. But most sites have ways to ensure utilisation, reserve lists etc.

Pfizer is a different issue but is being used for 2nd dose atm. People are just called forward to use that up.

Goodytoshoes · 01/04/2021 11:26

Tbh I think you're very sensible to want to go to the appointment and not let the vaccine go to waste!! The NHS have spent so much money on vaccines, and you simply don't want them to keep going to waste. I commend you for that, well done! Flowers

Graciebobcat · 01/04/2021 11:26

I was asked my name, age, date of birth and NHS number twice and my appointment time when I went in, and also had to show my driving licence. They won't just let someone else take the appointment.

Email them with the details, job done, don't think any more about it and wait for your own appointment.

Graciebobcat · 01/04/2021 11:27

And booking reference too.

zafferana · 01/04/2021 11:28

When I went there was a woman at the door with a clip board. She asked my name, put a tick against it on her board and ushered me in. At no point was I asked for ID, NHS Number, text message or anything else.

Okay, so maybe, just MAYBE the OP could get vaccinated by pretending to be someone else (although she's said she wouldn't do that), but then she would be listed by the NHS as being un-vaccinated when her own time came and that could mean she's unable to get a vaccine passport or any kind of official proof that she has, in fact, been vaccinated. She would be protected a bit earlier than otherwise, but she might then have a big problem with travel or going to events with crowds. It's simply not worth it!

Vaccine doses are never wasted IME and very few are left over - just what's left in the vial when everyone on the list has been done. AZ has 9 doses per bottle, Pfizer has 5-6, so there would be a maximum of 8 doses going begging and they go to volunteers or to people the clinics can call at short notice.

CuthbertDibbleandGrubb · 01/04/2021 11:29

Worth a try but please be gracious if you are declined and be polite to those administering the vaccine.

TheOrigRights · 01/04/2021 11:29

Who are these letters from OP?

Mine was from the NHS. When one arrived for my ex (who clearly hasn't registered with a GP where he now lives) I knew what it was. It clearly has a box to tick 'not at this address' with instructions to return to sender not to forward.

And like a PP says, they didn't give me an appointment, I was invited to sign up online. There would be tens of thousands of missed apps if they were assigning them rather than have the recipient select a suitable time.

emmathedilemma · 01/04/2021 11:29

When I got my letter I had to go online on the nhs website and make an appointment with my NHS number, They did not give me an appointment.
It depends where you live - in Scotland you get sent a letter with an appointment on it and you only go online if you wish to change it. No need to confirm, you just turn up if the time issued suits.

Hallyup5 · 01/04/2021 11:31

Vaccine doses won't be being binned because someone doesn't turn up for an appointment. You also won't be able to walk into a vaccination centre and take someone else's dose. Just keep returning the letters to the sender. It might be irritating but eventually they'll get the message.

eeyore228 · 01/04/2021 11:33

All you can is return to sender with no longer at this address.

LuaDipa · 01/04/2021 11:34

@Crawdallio

Why are you opening other people's letters? When I get nhs letters for former occupants there is a clear "private" headline and a box to tick to say the person no longer lives at the address. You are meant to write "return to sender" and pop it back in the postbox.
I returned the previous occupants’ post to sender for a year and a half. It kept coming until I began opening it and contacting the senders directly by phone where possible.
poppycat10 · 01/04/2021 11:38

@RampantIvy

You could try but I've just been for mine an hour ago and there is no way I would have been allowed In without my name and NHS number.

That is the case. I wasn't allowed in to the vaccination hub without showing the text I received with my number on.

NHS number or booking reference? Not the same thing.
msbevvy · 01/04/2021 11:38

If, as you say, it is for a definite appointment it might just be possible that the recipient knows about this appointment by some other means like text or email and might turn up at the centre.

It can sometimes be very difficult to change your address on an NHS system. It took me a year to sort out one hospital who had changed my address to somewhere in Bournemouth simply because I had to see a GP when I ran out of medication when my mother was dying.

poppycat10 · 01/04/2021 11:39

@CuthbertDibbleandGrubb

Worth a try but please be gracious if you are declined and be polite to those administering the vaccine.
Where did the OP imply that she wouldn't?
TulipsTwoLips · 01/04/2021 11:39

It seems to be two different matters. You having their jab won't stop the letters.

Hullabaloo31 · 01/04/2021 11:40

They're not appointments thought are they, just an invitation to book one. So what exactly are you going to turn up to?

Bluntness100 · 01/04/2021 11:40

Are the letters confirming the appt. if so how do you know the person hasn’t went and got their jab?

ImAlrightThanx · 01/04/2021 11:42

@RampantIvy

You could try but I've just been for mine an hour ago and there is no way I would have been allowed In without my name and NHS number.

That is the case. I wasn't allowed in to the vaccination hub without showing the text I received with my number on.

I think this depends on the centre. They just asked me my name, DOB and GP- no ID needed.
user1497207191 · 01/04/2021 11:43

@Crawdallio

Why are you opening other people's letters? When I get nhs letters for former occupants there is a clear "private" headline and a box to tick to say the person no longer lives at the address. You are meant to write "return to sender" and pop it back in the postbox.
Yes, but that sometimes doesn't stop them because there is usually no usable return address, i.e. the envelope is a standard NHS hospital name, and the "sender" address inside is also usually a generic hospital address. NHS admins aren't going to bother to try to redirect it to the right dept to get the database corrected.
Swipe left for the next trending thread