To be cross I've been given flu vaccination against my consent

[whatdodos]

I know the title seems a bit inflammatory but just wanting insights from people who may be able to tell me if this could be an error or something I should be cross about.

Last month I went for my 4th covid jab, I was offered the flu jab but declined as didn't want to overload myself as I struggle with an underlying health condition/disability.

On my online account for my GP under the medication section it says I was given the influenza vaccine and there is no mention of the covid jab at all. Is there anyway they could have just typed the wrong thing in when updating rhe system? Or was I actually given the flu jab while under the impression it was a covid jab?

I don't want anyone to get into trouble as mistakes happen but I also want to know what jab I was actually given. I also don't know if it's worth highlighting to the gp practice as someone could actually be allergic to the flu jab.

I'm not raging just don't know how concerned to be or whether to bring it up , advice please!!

I work on the Covid programme - from what you’ve said it sounds likely to be a data entry error, but you should definitely ring up the surgery to check. Either you’ve been given the wrong vaccine, which would be a serious error and you and they should definitely know this (and they would need to investigate how it happened), or there was a recording error, which also has implications for patient safety (because your clinical record is wrong).

We’ve done almost 12 million autumn boosters, so even if 99.99% of them are recorded correctly, that 0.01% would still equate to over 1,000 data entry errors (am making up these numbers - not sure of the error rate).

It's a big fuck up either way.

I think they're supposed to note the batch no when they give you a jab so might be able clarify that way. I'd call the GP tomorrow. You need to know what you've had so you know what protection you have.

A suggestion that an op be polite, from someone who's written the least polite post on the thread lol

Non-clinicians can vaccinate (with a PSD and after training) but cannot draw up vaccines. All the large vaccination centres have used separate teams to draw up and to administer.

No card, no leaflet, nothing with my fourth jab.

I was a volunteer at our local hub in the past. The vaccinators absolutely DID have several syringes drawn up at a time. If the GP nurse was carrying out nothing but vaccinations one after another, she might well have done the same

None of this happened when I had my recent booster and flu jab - I was asked if I was on blood thinners but that was it , no leaflet around side effects , no card

Because they're offering the flu jab too
I went to a covid vaccination centre and had the covid vaccine and the flu one
Just given a covid vaccine leaflet and no card

Who the bloody hell are you to tell the OP “It’s fine to be concerned about clarifying which immunisation you had and it’s important to make sure medical records are correct; but going in banging on about consent makes you look batshit.”

The OP has every right to be concerned about what vaccination she has been given against what is now on her medical records. It’s her body, not yours! You’ve got an absolute cheek coming on here and accusing her of being “batshit” FFS!

OP I can see you’ve apologised to some of these anonymous posters for your “dramatic” thread title but it’s your body and medical records, you have every right to be concerned whether you’ve been given the right thing or not and yes, you absolutely should kick up a fuss about it.

“Polite request for clarification” Jeeze.
OP please stop apologising, I hope you get the answers you need and YANBU at all.

And there you have it, a smug poster thinking that because such and such happened for them that it couldn’t possibly happen a different way for someone else.

Thankfully a number of subsequent posters have come on to say that actually that didn’t happen to them. So I hope you can take this ridiculous post for what it’s worth - a load of rubbish.

Did you see the needle/syringe at all?

Flu jabs are a super cheap all in one thing, a tiny preloaded syringe, usually with a fatter and I don't under more painful needle.

COVID uses a narrower syringe generally, with a very slim low wastage needle. I suspect that it will be very difficult to determine after the fact what you had because most surgeries won't keep paper as well as electronic information, though an odd few do. However, they are mandated to put COVID vaccines into a separate system from flu, and there are reports available from that that they could check. I don't understand how it could have interfaced to produce a flu result though.

You need to get this clarified. If you have been given a different vaccine than you consented to, that is a serious clinical error (you might have an egg allergy for example). It isn't about getting someone in trouble; it is about safeguards being put in place so it doesn't happen again.

Chances are great, however, that it is just an admin error (concerning but hopefully easily rectified).

And for those posters mocking the OP for being concerned it may overload her system, there are several studies coming out pointing to a slight increase in adverse effects when having both together. Not a concern for most people but if you ended up in hospital with the adverse effects of a Covid Vac (like me) you would be cautious about having both at the same time. You know, because I quite like being able to work so I can eat and pay my bills!

Not my experience when I had my last booster. The pharmacist said two sentences, “you are having Moderna is that ok,” and “which arm.” No little card, no medical questions, no leaflet with possible complications, wham bam next please.

I didn't even get told that much by the pharmacist! It wasn't until the vaccination appeared on my NHS app that I looks which Covid jab I'd had! It was a real production line. Much more so than when I had my vaccines at the hub (which one would expect to be production line-ish)

Have you checked your NHS app, OP? The Covid jab should be in your Covid record of you had it.

To clarify, I know you've looked on your GP patient record. But the NHS app will be more reliable for the Covid jab.

When I open my Covid pass on the NHS app...

Thank you everyone for replies too many to reply individually. To address a few things, I know you can't "overload your system" I didn't mean that literally sorry if that wasn't clear. Iver never had flu vaccine before and in the past the covid jab and the side effects have triggered a flare up of an already existing condition. I just wanted them done separately to help my own anxieties and ease the stress to help reduce a liklihood of a flare up.

I went to the GP practice not a vaccination centre for the one poster who mentioned that.

I don't knowbthe ins and outs of best practice on administration vaccines as I'm not a nurse/doctor/immuniser so I can't comment on those mentioning that.

Thank you for all the helpful replies youve mostly been all really helpful. I'm a worry head and was just worrying about people getting into trouble etc but I am going to ring up and ask as I think its important I know what I'm protected against.

I'm off to bed now as on a short trip away tomorrow. Hope you all have a lovely evening xx

Sorry for typos its been a long day 😴

Yes , it could absolutely be a clerical error but unfortunately there is no easy way to find out.
( I have given thousands of vaccines. )

A very similar thing happened to me, this time last year. I went to the pharmacy for my flu jab. At that point, I was not yet eligible for my next covid jab as it hadn't been long enough since the previous one. Several weeks later, when I went to book my covid jab found I couldn't as the NHS app showed I'd had it already, on the day I had gone for my flu jab. I was ever so worried as I didn't know which jab they'd actually given me. I went back to the pharmacy (was in a bit of a state about it by that point) who said the wrong details were entered onto the system. They had to correct the records. I wasn't impressed, I can tell you.

@saraclara
Interesting how different countries can do it so differently, our non registered staff can draw up & vaccinate, they do special training to do it.
However they don't do the medical screening which has to be a registered nurse.
So it would usually be me to x3 vaccinators, I go to each booth do the screening then leave them to vaccinate.
We go by the protocol for each vaccine.
Apologies OP for the sidetracking of your thread.

MY DH had something similar. He had an appointment for a Covid jab at the GP which he forgot about. When he went to a walk in centre instead, the records showed that he had had the jab at the appointment he didn't go to. Someone must have filled in the records from the appointments schedule rather than from what actually happened. So I think it's entirely possible that the record is incorrect.

But given that, I don't see how asking the surgery is going to get to the bottom of it. How will they know what was actually given?

@whatdodos re my posts above, have you checked your NHS app? Because that will give you the instant answer that you're after. Even, as on my screenshot, the batch number of your vaccine of you had it.

That’s not what happens in my trust area .two separate jags , no serial number given for either.

was just worrying about people getting into trouble etc but I am going to ring up and ask as I think its important I know what I'm protected against.

Yes, you need to know. And tbh - whether the mistake is a clerical error in your records, or you've somehow been given the wrong vaccination, someone should get a bit of a bollocking, it's really not acceptable. You'll be fine I'm sure, but mistakes with medical records, or worse yet with treatment can have serious consequences.

It could quite easily have happened. Human error exists. Or a clerical error in the medical records.

As upthread, OP- a polite request to clarify. You don't need a reason to clarify, but if you feel better with one, say you want to book a flu jab in a few weeks and need to know if you have had it or not.