I had a Shingrix (shingles) vaccine today, from the NHS (free), because I'm immune-suppressed and over 50

[AutumnCrow]

Just that really. I'm on an immune-suppressing biologic drug for auto-immune disease(s), and after a bit of a tussle with my GP surgery <waves, and thanks> I finally got jabbed with Shingrix #1 this morning.

Next one (2 of 2) is in 8 weeks.

Please may I encourage anyone in the same category as me - immune-suppressed and over 50 years old - to take advantage of this vaccine programme that was introduced by the NHS on the 1st September this year. Boots do offer it privately but the cost for the course is £450 thus prohibitive for many. The NHS jabs via your GP are free. You must go through your GP to receive the jabs for free. This is not an active vaccine and is safe for immune-suppressed people.

Please don't wait to be called in. My GP surgery is having some real time and admitted issues with flagging up patients on immune-suppressing biologics on its (new-ish) data system. If in doubt, ring and explain.

I'm happy to help to look up anyone's meds for them in the 'Green Book'. Mine is Adalimumab, a commonly used TNF-blocker for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis that for some reason my GP surgery didn't recognise or compute.

I expect I’ll have to fight for this like I had to fight for the pneumococcal jab and had to pay privately for dd’s flu jab and take her 30
miles for the covid as my useless GP surgery hadn’t coded my household as eligible for the latest covid and flu vaccines and nowhere locally was doing either for under 18s.

To the nurses above who say “give us a chance!” be aware that you are putting patients at risk while those who do the coding faff about ignoring those outside the simple age related categories. And there is no excuse for not having clinics for the most vulnerable children when there’s plenty of staff who are qualified to vaccinate them.

What was good, though, was then when I did finally go in for my first Shingrix, the vaccine nurse had a student with her that day, and we were all able to have a very informative conversation about pretty much all of the above ^^

So that's one student nurse who now knows more about Shingrix and the 50+ immunecompromised (IC) category than he ever believed possible

Looks like a similar cohort to those who get the extra covid vaccines. Anyway I'm over 65 so qualify under that as well. DH and I should both get it. Not heard from GP but will mention when I go for bloods next week.

I once had shingles years ago. It's eye wateringly painful.

I can do all the shingles vaccines you want, but then won't be vaccinating as many babies, doing urgent repeat smears as soon or administering injections for cancer on time etc etc.
We are down to the equivalent less than one full time practice nurse now for a practice of over 10,000. Cant recruit.
My colleague goes next year and I'm out in three. People have no idea what's coming.
And that's not specific to us.
This shingles programme has been rolled out in the height of flu season with Covid vaccines alongside, very little preparation and inaccurate media advertising.
Things should be better.

Thanks for the info - I work in a school and have an autoimmune disease, so chicken pox is something I’d really like to swerve. Cheers!

I once had shingles years ago. It's eye wateringly painful.

This has been my worry for such a long a long time, @Pippim. I'm already with the persistent pain service for my existing medical conditions. I have some very bleak days indeed.

DP took me down to Boots for my flu jab in October and we asked about the private Shingrix vaccine (£450). The pharmacist told me to go back to my GP and insist on being booked in for the free NHS service. It took a while - but we got there in the end.

And yes, it was (yet another) coding issue that needed correcting on my GP records. 'Give us a chance' would never have led to anything at all, ever. The coding error also meant that I would never have been called in for my flu and covid boosters, either.

Shame on you for saying this. My life is shit enough already without the very nasty shingles that I’ve had to put up with numerous times. Yes, numerous times at a cost to the NHS and myself. If you’ve got a problem with it then talk to your practice manager, not to people like us who have to put up with a huge amount and are vulnerable to very nasty infections. Luckily my practice have got their act together and have a raft of very excellent nurses and HCP and I’m glad you aren’t one of them with your attitude.

There is a strange quirk in the shingles vaccine programme that if you turn 65 after 1st September 23, you are eligible at 65 but if you are 65 before then you have to wait until 70, maybe I'm reading it wrong.

Wrong way around. The 2 dose schedule is Shingrix which is not live, is the one being used for most people.

Zostavax is the one dose schedule, is only for those aged 70+ and is being phased out. There’s very little circulating stock remaining (we haven’t had it for about two months).

Yes that should qualify as you’re on a -mab drug as well as GCSF.

@Sidge thanks. I've had 8 covid vaccines so figured I might count! (Stupid neutrophils)

We can only do what we’re commissioned to do. If we’re not commissioned to give Covid vaccine to children, we don’t receive the vaccine. We can’t give something we haven’t got however qualified we are.

Take it up with your ICB.

And for the record it’s me that does the additional coding. I’m the lead nurse in my practice, and have to do the clinical coding for those that fall outside the standard criteria. This is a clinical responsibility, not an admin one. I have to run the searches and add individual read codes and eligibility codes and then send the patient messages that they can book. This takes me hours, and is done around my clinical practice.

I resent being accused of putting patients at risk. I’m doing everything I can to get my patients accurately coded and invited and vaccinated. Bear in mind we are also slightly limited on how much vaccine we can store as our fridges are full of flu, Covid, pneumonia, travel and baby immunisations too, so we have to stagger our orders for shingles vaccine.

If you’re over 65 (and turned 65 before 01/09/2023) you’ll have to wait unless severely immune compromised.

That is correct.

Also worth pointing out to people that the vaccine isn’t a treatment for shingles, and you can’t have it if you have active shingles infection.

So however many times you’ve had shingles that alone won’t qualify you for receiving the vaccine.

I was called in for mine automatically. No immune-suppressed or other health issues. I think it's standard for at least the over 60s in Scotland.

If you don’t qualify under the immune-suppressed category, you won’t get it because you’re over 65, unless you turned 65 after 1 September. Those of us who were already over 65 have to wait until they are 70, unless they change the rules again. I’m 67 and I had shingles in the spring, and I really don’t want to get it again, but I will have to wait another 3 years.

Yes, it looks like DH who is 63 will get his 3 years before me, I'm 65. It is quite confusing and I imagine a lot of over 65s ringing the surgery for it thinking they are eligible as there was a TV campaign a while back saying over 65s. I thought I was eligible at first then read the whole government page and the small piece at the bottom

So how are the most vulnerable children supposed to get flu and covid vaccines if the GP surgery decide (and ours have definitely decided rather than not be commissioned) not to do them? Do you think it’s ok that parents have to drive 25+ miles to get these done (rural so no public transport) and/or pay privately (to have it done by the exact same pharmacist who did my NHS flu and covid jabs)?

For what it’s worth it isn’t clinical staff doing the coding at our place- it’s the receptionist who doesn’t have a GCSE to her name. My third request to get my household coded as eligible was done by the practice manager (also not clinical).

Thanks @Sidge for all the very helpful replies

@AQuantityOfNaughtyCats you wouldn’t be able to get Covid vaccine privately anyway, for adults or children.

Travelling distances to be vaccinated is unfortunate. I live and work fairly rurally. Our whole PCN isn’t doing children’s Covid so my own child had to travel, but luckily only 14 miles.

Relatively small numbers of children need to be Covid vaccinated compared to the first waves; ICBs will decide how best to offer the schedule. For many areas (especially rurally) it’s not viable to deliver a local programme, so they centralise them at hubs. Which may mean travelling.

As I said, take it up with your ICB.

But it’s exactly the same pfizer vaccine for 12-64 year olds so there is no reason why the GP surgery/pharmacy/drop in can’t do over 12s in the same clinics as adults as there are so few of them!!

You can get it done privately - if you've got £450. Larger Boots pharmacies will do it (you have to book, and it's it's two separate jabs two months apart).

It’s the same in Scotland. From NHS Inform - If you are currently aged 66 to 69 years, you won’t be eligible for the vaccine until you turn 70. Crazy rules. Who in their right mind would expect that if you became 65 before the date, it would disqualify you, for an age related vulnerability?

Assuming the clinic is using Pfizer yes in theory they could. But if not commissioned to do them they won’t get paid for doing them. And some providers such as pharmacies can’t vaccinate under 18s under their protocols or insurance.