Page 23 | How are people’s vaccinator job applications going?

JacobReesMogadishu · 2020-12-31T13:49:25+00:00

We had a previous thread which I’ve lost. So after originally filling out the form to register my interest in Nov with NHSP and being told I’d hear back within 7 days I only got a link to fill out a proper appt a few days ago. Done the application now and been told to wait to hear if I’m successful or not. I can really only weekends as I have a substantive 9-5 job to do but hopefully they will want all hands on deck and not turn a registered HCP who knows how to wield a needle away!

KarmaKhameleon · 20/02/2021 22:38

I have almost given up all hope! Applied end December and went through the process of video interviews, online training and assessments, proving references, getting enhanced DBS, occupational health etc etc then referred to Trust (Kent).

Have not heard a thing since then! It has been several weeks now and despite new mass vaccination centres opening close by, there has been no further information on training or deployment.

This thread has been super helpful and it's great to see a couple of others have made progress...just disappointed that there seems to have been such a disconnect between NHS Professionals and local trusts. Anyone else in Kent who has had a different experience at all?

Chardonnay73 · 21/02/2021 15:53

Meeting was a bit of a waste of time, as every question anyone asked was just met with, I don’t know, I’ll have to get back to you on that. But, he did say that the mass hubs are very quiet now as a lot of the first tranche of pts has been done but is expected to get much much busier in March. For every vaccinator post there are 20 volunteers!! No one on my call had done a shift yet either. The mood was of quiet pissedoffness 😒
Shifts also only get confirmed 48 hours before, which makes it a nightmare for me trying to plan around my existing frontline NHS full time job.
I am losing the will to live with it to be honest. 🙁

FudgeSundae · 22/02/2021 09:36

DH had his SJA face to face training yesterday and apparently volunteers were originally only at the 7 huge hubs, now it’s up to 50 locations and will be 100 by the end of March so hopefully a lot more demand and choice of locations.
He also said the training was very good. Very little detail was given about the day beforehand so here are some things he wished he had known: lunch IS provided but not “guaranteed”, if SJA are doing your DBS check you need THREE forms of ID (the emails only said one but that’s for if you already have a DBS).
Does anyone know how many CPD hours the SJA training is, including the e-learning? We can go figure it out of course but wondering if anyone else has already done the maths.

Missypuff30 · 22/02/2021 10:13

@FudgeSundae

DH had his SJA face to face training yesterday and apparently volunteers were originally only at the 7 huge hubs, now it’s up to 50 locations and will be 100 by the end of March so hopefully a lot more demand and choice of locations. He also said the training was very good. Very little detail was given about the day beforehand so here are some things he wished he had known: lunch IS provided but not “guaranteed”, if SJA are doing your DBS check you need THREE forms of ID (the emails only said one but that’s for if you already have a DBS). Does anyone know how many CPD hours the SJA training is, including the e-learning? We can go figure it out of course but wondering if anyone else has already done the maths.

I had my DBS check done by SJA and uploaded the ID needed via the online application. Only needed one form of ID at my face to face training yesterday.

Think the e-learning is meant to be about 8 hours, so 16 hours including face to face?

I'm just waiting for my ID now and access to the shift booking system!

We were told that not all vaccination centres are using SJA volunteers to vaccinate, so may only get to do meet and greet or aftercare roles. I'm hopeful we'll be needed though!

FudgeSundae · 22/02/2021 10:27

@Missypuff30 that’s so bizarre, it didn’t even give us the option to upload ID for the DBS check, how weird!

Missypuff30 · 22/02/2021 10:50

[quote FudgeSundae]@Missypuff30 that’s so bizarre, it didn’t even give us the option to upload ID for the DBS check, how weird![/quote]
Yeah I uploaded my own photo too. My application did get stuck for about 3 weeks, so maybe they've changed it since I first applied

Jennilanch · 22/02/2021 18:58

Feeling a little hopeful, after hearing nothing since beginning of January I have received an email regarding occupational health and my DBS certificate has arrived. Fingers crossed. Had given up. Has anyone been successful in the Kings Lynn , Norfolk area?

Cookerhood · 22/02/2021 20:13

SJA aren't at many sites yet & people are having to go some distance to volunteer, often not for vaccinating roles.
I thought the training was very heavy on the first aid & light on the actual vaccinating practice. At the hub near us there have been 10000 vaccinations so far with not a single medical emergency. I'm not saying we don't need to be prepared but there will be plenty of better qualified people than me around to perform CPR, whereas I will be vaccinating after 4 practice jabs into a plastic arm.

Frazzled2207 · 22/02/2021 20:21

@cookherhood.
I finally have my SJA training booked. As it turned out a date popped up fairly local to me but nobody can tell me if there's likely to be any actual slots nearby and I won't be able to travel a long way.
Perhaps there will be more opportunities to help further down the line.

Frazzled2207 · 22/02/2021 20:24

@FudgeSundae
oh just seen your post. 100 locations sounds good!

Cookerhood · 22/02/2021 20:50

@Frazzled2207, I think that is almost certainly the case. There have been all sorts of problems with the ID cards which they seem to be sorting out (wrong photos, not stating DBS etc). They were talking about getting permission to travel 100 miles & hotels etc. I won't be doing that but I'm hoping as they need more people (for example when the 2nd doses start in earnest) that they will ask for SJA to help at more hubs. I'd just like to get on with it before I lose confidence.

Frazzled2207 · 22/02/2021 20:56

They were talking about getting permission to travel 100 miles & hotels etc.

@Cookerhood
I just spit my tea out at that! No way. But living in Greater Manchester hopefully something reasonably close will come up, eventually. I am likely to get the vaccine myself due to a trial I'm on next month and would rather wait until after then now tbh.

Cookerhood · 22/02/2021 21:00

You are eligible anyway as a vaccinator, i.just called 119 & they booked me in.

Frazzled2207 · 22/02/2021 21:34

@Cookerhood

You are eligible anyway as a vaccinator, i.just called 119 & they booked me in.

oh really I did not know this. That's good. Slightly more complicated for me as I'm part of a trial so shouldn't really jump the gun. But will get one anyway next month (and another 3 weeks after).

HarrietLong · 22/02/2021 21:35

We were told that not all vaccination centres are using SJA volunteers to vaccinate, so may only get to do meet and greet or aftercare roles. I'm hopeful we'll be needed though!

I completed my F2F training on 16th Jan, had to wait ages for ID and to be given link to download GRS (the app where you book shifts). Soon after, was told that all vaccinator roles for SJA have been suspended because NHS England want the same person to draw up and administer the vaccine, and we were only trained to administer, not draw up. Apparently that had been known for a while, but they were not making it known to the vaccination volunteers.

So hundreds of us are being trained, and then informed afterwards that we are not fully qualified for the role. We have been told to book advocate shifts instead. I did my first today, and it was a joke. I was supposed to "meet and greet" but there were already 4 paid staff doing that. Yes, it was a quiet day, but even on a busy one, I cannot imagine they need extra volunteers. I did 4 hours of basically fuck-all, and then asked to go home. The NHS staff were lovely and friendly, but did not seem to understand why SJA volunteers were there.

I have gone ahead and booked vaccinator shifts going forwards, because allegedly there will soon be an announcement about whether we can vaccinate. If they say we cannot vaccinate, after all the studying and waiting around for the incredibly slow admin, I'm not sure I will volunteer for further shifts. They say we shouldn't be disappointed about not vaccinating, but the reality is, the marshals do not seem to be needed as there are plenty of paid staff doing that (at least where I am).

It's so frustrating because I am a vet, and draw up many vaccines every week, but am not allowed to vaccinate. And yet in the briefing on my shift today, there were cabin crew who had never injected anybody before, had not had any practical training at all (in giving vaccinations), had just watched videos on how to do it, but were beginning their first shift as a vaccinator. This was because they had been recruited by the NHS, not by SJA.

Rant over!

Missypuff30 · 22/02/2021 21:47

@Cookerhood

You are eligible anyway as a vaccinator, i.just called 119 & they booked me in.

Even if volunteering with SJA? I had no idea.

Cookerhood · 22/02/2021 21:50

Yes, we asked at the training & I checked with my GP. You count as front line health worker.

Gadzookery · 22/02/2021 21:53

@Cookerhood

Yes, we asked at the training & I checked with my GP. You count as front line health worker.

that is true! I'm an SJA volunteer and got my jab last Saturday (booked via the government/NHS website).

Missypuff30 · 22/02/2021 21:57

What proof did you take Gad? I haven't got my ID yet, just my certificate. I'm thinking if eligible to get booked as soon as I can as I'm expecting my ID and GRS access to take a while, based on others' experiences.

Did you tick the box to say "eligible health worker"?

Gadzookery · 22/02/2021 21:59

@HarrietLong

We were told that not all vaccination centres are using SJA volunteers to vaccinate, so may only get to do meet and greet or aftercare roles. I'm hopeful we'll be needed though!

I completed my F2F training on 16th Jan, had to wait ages for ID and to be given link to download GRS (the app where you book shifts). Soon after, was told that all vaccinator roles for SJA have been suspended because NHS England want the same person to draw up and administer the vaccine, and we were only trained to administer, not draw up. Apparently that had been known for a while, but they were not making it known to the vaccination volunteers.

So hundreds of us are being trained, and then informed afterwards that we are not fully qualified for the role. We have been told to book advocate shifts instead. I did my first today, and it was a joke. I was supposed to "meet and greet" but there were already 4 paid staff doing that. Yes, it was a quiet day, but even on a busy one, I cannot imagine they need extra volunteers. I did 4 hours of basically fuck-all, and then asked to go home. The NHS staff were lovely and friendly, but did not seem to understand why SJA volunteers were there.

I have gone ahead and booked vaccinator shifts going forwards, because allegedly there will soon be an announcement about whether we can vaccinate. If they say we cannot vaccinate, after all the studying and waiting around for the incredibly slow admin, I'm not sure I will volunteer for further shifts. They say we shouldn't be disappointed about not vaccinating, but the reality is, the marshals do not seem to be needed as there are plenty of paid staff doing that (at least where I am).

It's so frustrating because I am a vet, and draw up many vaccines every week, but am not allowed to vaccinate. And yet in the briefing on my shift today, there were cabin crew who had never injected anybody before, had not had any practical training at all (in giving vaccinations), had just watched videos on how to do it, but were beginning their first shift as a vaccinator. This was because they had been recruited by the NHS, not by SJA.

Rant over!

This is disappointing.

In terms of NHS non registered healthcare vaccinators, I thought prior to working, they were subject to an assessment under the COVID-19 vaccinator competency assessment as issued by HMG recently (which includes demonstrating correct intramuscular injection technique).

Gadzookery · 22/02/2021 22:06

@Missypuff30

What proof did you take Gad? I haven't got my ID yet, just my certificate. I'm thinking if eligible to get booked as soon as I can as I'm expecting my ID and GRS access to take a while, based on others' experiences.

Did you tick the box to say "eligible health worker"?

I have got my SJA ID card so took that - but I'm sure that anything you can provide would hopefully be acceptable - ie your certificates provide some proof, don't they? Your DBS certificate maybe? Even emails on your phone? And everyone needs to be vaccinated anyway - so you're either done now or later down the road...

Yes, we were told by SJA to tick the frontline/eligible health worker box on the website.

SpringerMonster · 22/02/2021 22:11

Late to coming back to this thread (been busy volunteering!). I've been volunteering with SJA since early Jan and have only vaccinated on one shift (the first one). As mentioned above there have been some issues with the NHS wanting us to draw up and it not being part of our scope. Some of the vaccination centres near me are drawing up for the SJA volunteers and allowing them to vaccinate but I think that depends on the local trust. It seems to be the smaller ones. SJA are also doing some trials to retrospectively train us to draw up.
I have mostly been patient advocating and whilst it can be a bit pointless on quiet days, most of the time I have felt useful and people are so grateful and nice. Its good to be doing something positive

Missypuff30 · 22/02/2021 22:25

Thank you, I'll give 119 a call in the morning. Hoping my ID arrives soon, but my certificate does say volunteer vaccinator on.

Gadzookery · 22/02/2021 22:27

@Missypuff30

Thank you, I'll give 119 a call in the morning. Hoping my ID arrives soon, but my certificate does say volunteer vaccinator on.

Sounds good Missypuff!! Let us know how you get on. I booked mine via this link: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

HarrietLong · 22/02/2021 22:29

@Gadzookery Yes, we did get assessed for competency with IM injections, but not with drawing up the vaccine. That is the sticking point as the NHS has decided that we need to do all parts of the process.

@SpringerMonster I'm glad you've had a more positive experience. I have a shift at a diffetent centre tomorrow, so perhaps that will be different. I will report back!