AIBU ... to ask you to cancel your vax appointment if you don't need it

[BruceAndNosh]

Really frustrating!

I was volunteering at vax centre yesterday, all appointments.
Very busy as one vaccinator was off sick.

I was checking names off as people arrived among other duties.
The early appointments were boosters but late morning we had a couple of dozen 2nd doses booked in, and over half of them didn't turn up!
I assume that they a) forgot date of 2nd dose when they booked their 1st one 6 months before or b) had brought forward their 2nd dose and not cancelled the later appointment.

Yes, the booking system should be robust enough to avoid the latter option, but we know that it's working at full stretch.

Those slots could have been used by someone else.

Mine was cancelled automatically when I had received my booster ahead of my Jan appointment slot- was a huge relief as I had spent some considerable time attempting to cancel and it simply would not let me!

Mine got randomly cancelled without any reason, so it works both ways!

Tried it by queueing for the queue early on the day,. Entered all information and the result was it asked me to return tomorrow (the day after the evening appointment I would have cancelled).
I would very gladly have done so and got so far, but the system doesn't support that option.

I had my booster booked for the 16th December. I decided not to have it done. I tried to cancel so someone else could have h taken my appointment, but there was no option to cancel online. I tried calling for two days... nobody was picking up the phone so it was a wasted appointment

I was told when I registered for my booster at the drop in clinic that my appointment (for the following week, made before drop in option available) would be cancelled automatically. I’m in Scotland.

As everyone says, you can't cancel your appointment. Hopeless system

OP?

Bet you wished you hadn't posted now OP!

I cancelled mine via the nhs site as I managed to get one through the GP earlier. I got a text confirming it was cancelled too.

@Kshhuxnxk

Bet you wished you hadn't posted now OP!

No, I think it's really good the OP posted! This issue needs to be highlighted so it can be fixed!

(Not quite sure how we can get the attention of the right people to fix the website... but ringing to confirm appointments seems like a labour-intensive but better-than-nothing option.)

I keep having vaccinations booked for me when I call up to try and arrange a home visit (I'm housebound and the teams here have refused to even do my first vaccine at home which is really frustrating as I'm CEV). However, cancelling these appointments has been impossible, and I gave up when I had a THIRD booked by the ever 'helpful' vaccine line. So YABU because it's stupidly tricky to do!

Ops post is in good faith, but yeah...

Managed to cancel my appointment on the second attempt after going to a walk in, but DH tried the same & it came up with a random message that he needed to contact his GP.

'Tis a flawed system indeed. Hopefully someone was able to take my spot.

I was same managed to book one two weeks early and took that as Boris told me to ASAP, but it took several tries to get online over about 3-4 days to cancel the one I’d booked first

I'm not sure how this information wasn't filtered down to the OP

I work with loads of vaccine marshals and they're always moaning about how difficult the public find cancelling.

But at the moment, many centers are so busy that no-shows are giving them a bit of a breather to catch up.

I can understand your frustration OP. It sucks when people don't cancel appointments like this, albeit from posts on here, it sounds like it is really difficult to cancel online.

Thank you for being willing to give up time to volunteer.

I couldn’t go to mine as was awaiting a pcr test result and was at my GO surgery on the Sunday… got pcr thurs so didn’t cancel on Friday as assumed result would be back in time… no one answered the phones on the Sunday

I had a problem when booking my booster that meant I was double booked one at 11.00 on one day, and 11.05 the next day (went to get my mobile phone from downstairs to get the number, never can remember it, & it said that slot had gone, so booked one for next day). I could not cancel the 2nd booking, got the same message as other posters.

I attended the first appointment made, & I told the person who gave me my booster, & she cancelled the not required appointment. My husband attended a walk-in centre this week, & the person at the centre cancelled his booked appointment for early Jan. The lady told my husband that the system is not allowing people to cancel appointments at the moment, which is crazy!!

Yes, OP for being a volunteer. Your work is much appreciated.

It’s impossible to cancel.
There is literally NO WAY to do so.

If you could cancel our appointments or know how to do it ....
Please let us know how @BruceAndNosh

🙄🙄🙄🙄👌👌👌

@BruceAndNosh

Really frustrating!

I was volunteering at vax centre yesterday, all appointments.
Very busy as one vaccinator was off sick.

I was checking names off as people arrived among other duties.
The early appointments were boosters but late morning we had a couple of dozen 2nd doses booked in, and over half of them didn't turn up!
I assume that they a) forgot date of 2nd dose when they booked their 1st one 6 months before or b) had brought forward their 2nd dose and not cancelled the later appointment.

Yes, the booking system should be robust enough to avoid the latter option, but we know that it's working at full stretch.

Those slots could have been used by someone else.

I tried cancelling my booster last week - I couldn't on the website so I rang the number and there was no option either!

I tried to cancel mine as I got a positive lft today. The website was down and the phone lines were too busy.

Although could you perhaps ask MNHQ to amend the thread title, eg to "To cancel your vax appointment if you're not able to attend"?

Because I initially thought it meant, "If you're not in the highest priority of need for the vax, please don't have one."

I couldn't cancel the one is missed either. I had to wait a couple of days and book another appointment.

yeah I thought this was going to be an anti vax thread (sorry)

Back in the summer, I was away for a weeks holiday. Came home to find the nhs blue envelope lying on the mat. Opened the envelope to find that the appointment had been for the day before.