1st cock up in vaccination rollout

[CKBJ]

Being reported in the media that many over 80s received their letters yesterday, supposedly those living up to 40mins away from one of the 7 vaccine centres, but when they book appointments they are instructed to travel very far. No where does it state in the letter patients won’t be penalised if they don’t book one at one of the 7 centres and if they wait their gp practice will contact them for a local appointment. This is causing a lot of anxiety in people who are already likely to be shielding and potentially put them at risk by them trying to travel to one of the centres. Surely the letter template should have been reviewed and this issue picked up!

Communication does matter, and the impact of getting this wrong may result in anxiety, ill health or even death for a very vulnerable demographic.

They should know and do better.

Those saying "oh well, mistakes happen" please, have higher standards! Our government have had ages to plan for this and they should well understand the impact of poor coms by now.

ancientgran sounds an absolute peach. Yeah, why don’t we all not bother with this poxy vaccine - the flamin’ cheek of expecting us to leave our houses to get it. I for one am not going unless they sent a limo for me. They should have planned for this years ago.

Going back to those poor confused immobile 80+, bit worried for the US with their geriatric new president and Vice President then.

Sorry, not VP, but speaker...... VP considerably younger

DF, 87 lives in Penzance, I doubt he will be travelling to Bristol, I imagine he will have to wait until his GP is doing them if they aren't already.

BolloxtoGender

I agree it’s a concern, and a problem that needs ironing out....but disagree that amounts to the ‘throwing under the bus’ hyperbole.“

If I read that phrase again I may well throw myself under one.

FGS, the vaccines are miraculous. Please, all of you misery guts and doom mongers out there, just stop with all the bloody whingeing. Maybe focus your minds on finding new things to be outraged about when this is under control?

Yep, fed up with the moaners and doom mongers as well.

I don't understand why they don't take up the pharmacy option. As pharmacists have pointed out, they already have supply systems set up for regular drug deliveries and know what they are doing in terms of storage and administration. Chains like Boots and in-store pharmacies in supermarkets could get through thousands of vaccinations quickly.

@Viviennemary

It's not the first cock up. Loads of vaccines were lost when a freezer failed. Containing those vaccines which had to be stored at a very low temperature.

This was my GP practice, not sure exactly what happened, freezer must have gone down overnight, it was in the local paper.

People are just looking for reasons to complain. Yes, many older people will be concerned by the wording but equally, many will be desperate to have the vaccine and more than happy to go up to a 40 minute drive.

BigWoollyJumpers - that's exactly it!

@Arobase

I don't understand why they don't take up the pharmacy option. As pharmacists have pointed out, they already have supply systems set up for regular drug deliveries and know what they are doing in terms of storage and administration. Chains like Boots and in-store pharmacies in supermarkets could get through thousands of vaccinations quickly.

Ffs.

The supply and distribution system for flu did not and does exist for the COVID vaccine. It can only be distributed and supplied by the government. That is part of the emergency use legislation. The supply chain being established went from non existent to supply for 1-2k sites. It’s the army doing it.

And even if we could use the wholesale route it would create other problems. See the mess in the US. Vaccine distributed but normal outlets can’t use it. Because it’s not like a flu jab. Millions of doses of vaccine are in storage because of this.

Right now we rely on Pfizer supplies and very few GPs and pharmacies have the space and workforce to use it. That doesn’t change much with Oxford either.

The people who plan and deliver the flu vaccine did the COVID planning. They know what the options are and the why some are better than others for the phase we are in.

ancientgran sounds an absolute peach. Yeah, why don’t we all not bother with this poxy vaccine - the flamin’ cheek of expecting us to leave our houses to get it. I for one am not going unless they sent a limo for me. They should have planned for this years ago. At least I'm not rude, more than we can say for some.

Did you miss the bit about this being a letter sent to the over 80s? Now they have been told for 10 months they are extremely vulnerable but you expect them to suddenly jump on a bus or walk miles. Some over 80s are able to do that but some couldn't. My aunt at 87 couldn't walk to the bathroom without help. I'm nearly 70, my husband is mid 70s we both drive, I'm in good health but he is disabled. He can't walk far but it wouldn't matter as he could drive to a centre. I'd quite like them to send me to the nearest centre which is 100 miles away as it is 2 miles from my daughter's house. I'd love to be able to travel that far and give her a wave, maybe bake her favourite cake and leave it on the drive for her to pick up.

Perhaps you have never met anyone over 80 so don't realise the issues.

@RedRiverShore1 DF, 87 lives in Penzance, I doubt he will be travelling to Bristol, I imagine he will have to wait until his GP is doing them if they aren't already. Well some on here seem to think if he isn't willing to walk from Penzance to Bristol he is just being miserable and ungrateful.

Don't assume all 80+ are immobile or shielding. In normal times Thousands still drive themselves to golf every other day, or to Clubs, or lunches etc etc and are well capable of getting themselves to a vaccination centre. Roth catching these people and getting them done asap, allowing for more vulnerable non-mobile oldies to get theirs done closer to home No one is assuming all people 80+ are immobile. The point is that many are and the letter worried them. Hopefully lesson learned and they will amend the letter.

Ancientgran:

My 81 year old mum is delighted to be receiving the jab and very happy to travel for it.

Yes ancientgran he doesn't drive and I doubt it's 40 mins anyway more like 3 hours.

I think it just brings out the entitlement of people in this country . Standing on doorsteps clapping for nhs but not willing to travel a few miles to a vaccination centre. We are so privileged in this country to have the nhs . But some people's expectations and demands on the service are just sometimes so selfish and unrealistic. You can see how the nhs gets abused , why waiting times end up being so long in a&e etc . It's so sad and such a shame that we can't just appreciate what we have.

Penzance to Bristol is not a few miles

So have you found out whether he could get it through the GP?

Many many over 80’s do not drive and do not have family living local to drive them to the vaccination centre.
The vaccination centres will work best for the younger population who still drive or are ok to use public transport.
The elderly and medically vulnerable should be vaccinated at their local GP’s or their local pharmacy.

People will be offered them locally if they cannot get to a centre, but not right away. Logistically you can vaccinate far more people in the hub set up, and then once it cascades down to local level the numbers will be more manageable as some will have already been done. They aren't expecting anyone to travel as in if you don't you will never be able to have one, but no doubt people would be angry they were excluded if it was only those local to the hubs that were invited.

Oh FFS clearly most of you lot aren't able to imagine what it's like to be very elderly, possibly without family nearby, with health issues that make even short journeys difficult or painful and having been scared to death for the last year. The communication on this has been appalling and there is no excuse. It's not a failure of logistics, it's an unforgivable failure to communicate clearly what the options are. And the government have people who communicate for a living so there really is no excuse. Communication is 9/10 of project management and failure to do so is one of the major causes of project failure.

RedRiverShore1

“Penzance to Bristol is not a few miles“

Is it not being offered at Treliske?

@Arobase

I don't understand why they don't take up the pharmacy option. As pharmacists have pointed out, they already have supply systems set up for regular drug deliveries and know what they are doing in terms of storage and administration. Chains like Boots and in-store pharmacies in supermarkets could get through thousands of vaccinations quickly.

I agree and can't understand it either. I always have my flu jab at our local pharmacy. They're always available sooner than at our GPs, it quicker and easier to arrange. None of this having to go and stand and wait for vaccination days at the GP surgery. You just turn up at the pharmacy, no appointment needed, and they just do it there and then.

My MIL who is 80 and gets confused easily got a phone call last week with an appointment for her town's vaccination centre. She forgot the day/time and hadn't a clue where the town's football stadium was. My OH spent hours trying to get a phone number to call them back to confirm the appt date/time. He phoned MIL's own GP surgery, but the receptionist just trotted out the "we're not doing it" line and wouldn't help with phone numbers etc. He eventually phoned a different GP surgery and finally got a helpful receptionist who gave him the number to call. When he phoned, it was an answering machine. It took them 2 days to call him back, and then they wouldn't tell him her appt time due to "patient confidentiality", so they reluctantly agreed to phone the MIL directly again to confirm. Such a faff and wasted time for everyone, for something that would be far easily done more locally in their own GP surgeries and pharmacies.