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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Immunisation appointments

31 replies

Custardcreamking · 04/09/2023 10:37

I have a small child who is due the next round of immunisations. I had an appointment sent to me on a day that I cannot make. I work 5 days a week, 4 weekdays and one day at the weekend so have one fixed day off in the normal working week in which to get all of the life admin / chores done.

My drs doesn’t do the immunisations through their nurses, it has to be a health visitor. The health visitors only do immunisations in clinics and dispite living in a big city and being willing to travel they cannot fit me into any clinics on my day off, ever. ‘Take a day off work’ they suggest. I only get the bare minimum holiday and it’s all allocated until the end of the year.

And I am a bit pissed off about the suggestion that I take a full day off work to get my child immunised. It seems to me like so much in this country that nothing has changed from the 1970s when families survived on a single income and the mum stayed home. Life’s not like that these days, and I’d expect the nhs to understand that and be a bit flexible in understanding that I cannot be in a certain place at a certain time.

We’ve hit an impasse and my child isn’t getting immunised (until I calm down and gather the energy to try to address the situation once more). AIBU to expect the NHS to be a bit more flexible?

OP posts:
Hufflepods · 04/09/2023 10:42

Plenty of parents work full time and manage to get their children immunised or take them to appointments.

They don’t do the clinic on your 1 free weekday, what exactly do you expect them to do? Employ someone to work an additional day for you?

Theres also no need to book a whole day off. Book a morning or late afternoon slot and you can work the rest of the day.

RancidOldHag · 04/09/2023 10:42

I can see where you're coming from, but no it's not always possible to arrange endlessly flexible vaccination clinics, or to take up appointments meant for other purposes with vaccines

And this has been the case since at least the 1990s (in some areas at least)

So no, you're unlikely to have an exception made. Instead, can you save up lots of in-person things, and get them all done on one day off?

TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon · 04/09/2023 10:43

Not really tbf.
This is the NHS that the govt is busy dismantling.
When I was a pregnant teacher, (2003) my midwife appointments were on a Friday morning. No leeway. The midwife came on Friday morning to my GP surgery. If I wanted continuation of care, then Friday morning it was.
Maybe your partner could take the child? Or a relative?

JenniferBarkley · 04/09/2023 10:45

Being a working parent is really fucking hard, but it's normal to need to take time off for the DC's medical appointments. I think most surgeries only do immunisations in dedicated clinics, it must save them a huge amount of time which is a precious resource for them. I think you just have to suck it up.

Chamomileteaplease · 04/09/2023 10:47

It is quite normal to have a specific time for children's immunisations ie Thursday afternoons. They have to have everything set up and get it all done at once.

Could you ask a relative or friend to take him? - quite normal so long as you ask the clinic or surgery if they need something in writing or whatever from you.

hdbs17 · 04/09/2023 10:47

Be like the rest of us and take a day off to get your child their appointment.

If the HV clinic is only operating on a set day - they aren't going to change that just for you.

Sirzy · 04/09/2023 10:50

Ask for the earliest or latest appointment in the day?

ask someone else to take her with your consent?

you can’t expect whole clinics to run around your work schedule.

Rudolphthefrog · 04/09/2023 10:51

The inflexible one here isn’t the NHS, it’s you and/or your employer. You’re only available one weekday, and there aren’t clinics that day. What exactly do you expect to happen, an individual clinic set up just for you?

If they only offered one possible appointment you’d have a point with your “understanding that I cannot be in a certain place at a certain time” complaint, but it sounds like there are different clinics it’s just that unfortunately none of them suit your particular circumstances.

Oldermum84 · 04/09/2023 10:52

Just book the first or last appointment of the day and start late or finish early...?!

Icannoteven · 04/09/2023 10:58

Yanbu. Appointments that need to be attended by those of working age (such as parents of small children) should be available outside of ordinary working hours. Public organisations need to stop running as if it is the 1950’s. Just because this level of flexibility is normal doesn’t mean it’s the way things should be. One of my kids has complex health needs and the constant juggling of work/school and medical appointments is harder than it should be.

In the meantime, you could try getting a private appointment for vaccinations, if that’s affordable for you?

PinkRoses1245 · 04/09/2023 11:10

Rudolphthefrog · 04/09/2023 10:51

The inflexible one here isn’t the NHS, it’s you and/or your employer. You’re only available one weekday, and there aren’t clinics that day. What exactly do you expect to happen, an individual clinic set up just for you?

If they only offered one possible appointment you’d have a point with your “understanding that I cannot be in a certain place at a certain time” complaint, but it sounds like there are different clinics it’s just that unfortunately none of them suit your particular circumstances.

This. They can't justify running clinics all day every day. Speak to your employer about the time off, or can a relative take them instead?

PinkDaffodil2 · 04/09/2023 11:12

I think that’s quite a standard set up to be fair - could you get the first or last appointment of the day so you’re not missing much work?

TropicalTrama · 04/09/2023 11:13

Yet another thing that belongs in the 1950s. We’re lucky that the practice nurse will do them whenever suits, but we’re in a part of London with a lower than average vaccine uptake I assume so their tactic is to be as accommodating as possible. It’s worth a day off though OP- can you ask for the first or last appointment and avoid taking the whole day off?

Seashellies · 04/09/2023 11:15

Most surgeries only offer set days a week for childhood imms, it's because logistically (suitable staff, blocking out blocks of appointments, the space, deliveries of the injections) this makes sense. It is hard when you work full time and have to try and attend appointments that don't have much flex, but it's something we all have to prioritise. I wouldn't delay getting them just because you're annoyed about it, cases of measles especially are creeping back up again.

Seashellies · 04/09/2023 11:16

It seems to me like so much in this country that nothing has changed from the 1970s when families survived on a single income and the mum stayed home.

Can their father take them? A relative? It doesn't have to be the mother that takes them.

Original poster
Custardcreamking · 04/09/2023 11:17

I think if I pay I can get the practice nurse to do them for me so I’ll have to look into that. 🙄

OP posts:
Sirzy · 04/09/2023 11:19

Icannoteven · 04/09/2023 10:58

Yanbu. Appointments that need to be attended by those of working age (such as parents of small children) should be available outside of ordinary working hours. Public organisations need to stop running as if it is the 1950’s. Just because this level of flexibility is normal doesn’t mean it’s the way things should be. One of my kids has complex health needs and the constant juggling of work/school and medical appointments is harder than it should be.

In the meantime, you could try getting a private appointment for vaccinations, if that’s affordable for you?

And how does that work in reality when you need the right specialists at the right time for the right clinic? You would never get a system whereby everyone was happy.

logistics says having all immunisation appointments in set clinics makes more sense. Logistics say a consultant will have appointments all together in the same clinic often alongside others who need to be part of that clinic.

a personalised system for appointments simply isn’t practical

RancidOldHag · 04/09/2023 11:26

Custardcreamking · 04/09/2023 11:17

I think if I pay I can get the practice nurse to do them for me so I’ll have to look into that. 🙄

That's pretty unlikely, unless the nurse (perhaps with a doctor) has an established private practice, that does not use NHS resources.

You can't pay to buy an NHS appointment, so you would be looking at the cost of a private appointment, plus the cost of the vaccines themselves (which you would have to get dispensed inc dispensing charge as well of cost of vaccines at a pharmacy happy to handle private prescriptions) as it is illegal (fraud? theft?) to supply NHS-provided medicines to non-NHS patients (and individual practices have no way to "buy back" for specific patients, except under the non-resident procedures.

You might find it considerably easier to go straight to a private GP or immunisation clinic than work round the NHS rules

wideawakeyetagain · 04/09/2023 11:37

Take the day off it's only one day it ain't the end of the world there are lots of people that work full time and have kids and still get them to appointments on time

TropicalTrama · 04/09/2023 11:43

If you’re happy to pay you will likely need a private GP to do them, can’t imagine the practice nurse will do them in the NHS GP’s surgery.

elliejjtiny · 04/09/2023 11:53

In our surgery they have a fixed session each week for the children immunisations, the midwife clinic etc. Last summer we had to go to the fracture clinic every week, which clashed with one of my children's activities. Massive PITA but that's how it works.

Original poster
Custardcreamking · 04/09/2023 12:15

I could take a day off, but that would mean I’d have to work a day in between Christmas and new year as I have minimal leave which is just quite depressing. The health visitors in this city have clinics on my day off but there are no appointments available in the coming months and they haven’t timetabled beyond that, so I could just try to remember to call them back every three months.

OP posts:
KateyCuckoo · 04/09/2023 12:17

Who has your child on the day the appointment would be? Can't they take them?

WeWereInParis · 04/09/2023 12:18

It's normal to have to book leave for medical appointments. Although I hate assigned appointments like that - I booked time off, but could choose when

Alargeoneplease89 · 04/09/2023 12:21

So you would rather wait months rather then work a day between Christmas and New year?

Can't family just take them?