24/7 vaccine roll out

[VortexofBloggery]

Would you turn up at an unsociable hour to receive the jab? ( Say, 10pm to 8am) PM's office says there's no appetite for that, which strikes me as really out of touch with people wanting to get out of lockdown asap. I would go at any hour for the jab, would you?

There was another thread a couple of days ago asking if we would go for a vaccination at 2am.

Everyone said Yes.

But Allegra Stratton, PM's press secretary, says there is 'no clamour' for 24/7 vaccines.

So we need to clamour!

If we only use half the time available, it will take twice as long

If the elderly and vulnerable won't go at nighttime, open up these unsociable slots to other groups. After all, the only endpoint is for all adults to be vaccinated. The priority order is only to ration supply.
If the top priority list don't want to go at nighttime, offer these slots to someone who wants them.

I live within close walking distance to a centre so yes, I would.

Maybe it should be over 80s in the daytime and under 50s at night 🤷‍♀️

@Hardbackwriter

I'd do it but I'd be very confused about what problem it would solve to give people vaccines at 3am? Surely the only restrictions are staff, vaccine supply and physical space - I don't see how having staff working both day and night shifts produces any more of them than having them all work during the day, it makes no difference to vaccine supply so the only reason to do them at night is physical space at the vaccine centre - but surely that's the easiest of those three problems to solve? There's a lot of empty space, especially at the moment, so kitting out extra vaccine centres seems like a much more obvious solution to me than having the existing ones run through the night.

I would be in favour of extended hours, as I can see the problem that solves - people needing to fit getting vaccinated around work and other commitments - but I just don't see what is gained by vaccinating people at 3am?

I agree.

I think realistically fron 7am up to 10 or 11pm. I think you'd risk a lot of no shows in the early hours of the morning. If there are staff available, better to ahead them across more locations during sociable hours. Unless you're expecting the staff and volunteers to work for 24 hours

Spread not ahead

@JosephineDeBeauharnais

Someone ran a poll on Twitter today to challenge the claim that there’s no appetite. More than 20 000 people responded and 95% said they would take an appointment at any time of the day or night.

Exactly, it it total rubbish.

Either they haven't sorted adequate supply, e.g. the approved Moderna vaccine can't be sourced due to Brexit , then they need to say this.

Obviously there is some demand for vaccines 24/7, even if the top priority list people can say no to them because they can get better time slots. Someone will want the middle of the night slots.

And daytime staff might not want to work nights (e.g. GPs), but use different staff, e.g. hospital staff on overtime or shifts who are well used to working night shifts and have no problem with this.

If it stops me from queuing during the day, I would go at 3am knowing I would be having it done straight away.

@Fortyfifty

I think realistically fron 7am up to 10 or 11pm. I think you'd risk a lot of no shows in the early hours of the morning. If there are staff available, better to ahead them across more locations during sociable hours. Unless you're expecting the staff and volunteers to work for 24 hours

This is what confuses me - it's like a lot of people haven't realised that if the staff work through the night those particular staff members won't then work the next day? They're not robots!

@Fortyfifty

I think realistically fron 7am up to 10 or 11pm. I think you'd risk a lot of no shows in the early hours of the morning. If there are staff available, better to ahead them across more locations during sociable hours. Unless you're expecting the staff and volunteers to work for 24 hours

Hospitals run 24/7 without staff working for 24 hours. It is shift work. Hospital staff are used to this and happy to do it (especially for the vaccination programme). Find a way to use the nurses and doctors in hospitals (overtime, bank shifts, some on their rota, ask for volunteers even). These staff are not currently being used and could be. They are happy to work night shifts.

definitely would, it's hardly a huge sacrifice is it.

FFS no-one is being expected to work 24 a day or through the night and then the day.
Hospitals work 24/7 - there are ways of organising this.

@Hardbackwriter

I'd do it but I'd be very confused about what problem it would solve to give people vaccines at 3am? Surely the only restrictions are staff, vaccine supply and physical space - I don't see how having staff working both day and night shifts produces any more of them than having them all work during the day, it makes no difference to vaccine supply so the only reason to do them at night is physical space at the vaccine centre - but surely that's the easiest of those three problems to solve? There's a lot of empty space, especially at the moment, so kitting out extra vaccine centres seems like a much more obvious solution to me than having the existing ones run through the night.

I would be in favour of extended hours, as I can see the problem that solves - people needing to fit getting vaccinated around work and other commitments - but I just don't see what is gained by vaccinating people at 3am?

A voice of reason! You speak sense. People aren't thinking this through logically.

Where I work we have late night NHS scanning (up to 9pm-10pm and start appts at 7 am and we get a lot of no shows at night and first thing

But hospitals run 24/7 because they have to, not because it's more efficient - which is why lots and lots of hospital services aren't 24/7. Having staff on shifts doesn't negate the basic fact that 100 people working from 8am-8pm can deliver exactly the same as 50 people working from 8am-8pm and then another working from 8pm-8am, you haven't gained anything at all from half those people working at night rather than in the day.

@lazeeboy

FFS no-one is being expected to work 24 a day or through the night and then the day. Hospitals work 24/7 - there are ways of organising this.

Hospitals operate 24/7 because they have to. People get ill and have accidents and require care 24/7. Staff work a rota. Why would you rota 1/3 of your vaccination staff to work in the middle of the night when most people will prefer a vaccination appointment during the day or after work? It's more logical to set those 1/3 of staff to work at an additional location. Nothing is gained by all night working.

@lazeeboy

There was another thread a couple of days ago asking if we would go for a vaccination at 2am.

Everyone said Yes.

But Allegra Stratton, PM's press secretary, says there is 'no clamour' for 24/7 vaccines.

So we need to clamour!

If we only use half the time available, it will take twice as long

If the elderly and vulnerable won't go at nighttime, open up these unsociable slots to other groups. After all, the only endpoint is for all adults to be vaccinated. The priority order is only to ration supply.
If the top priority list don't want to go at nighttime, offer these slots to someone who wants them.

I'd be amazed if everyone said they'd go at 2am, I've read quite a number of versions of this thread, that's a real outlier if there was a unanimous response.

But there are two different issues, if you ask me if I'd go at 2am Id say yes, if you asked me if I wanted centres to be open at 2am I'd say no. The two questions don't have to have the same answer.

It's also clearly wrong to say that if you only use half the time it will take twice as long, the time taken is determined by how many vaccinators there are not when they work.

My parents in their late 70s would go any time day or night. It's not exactly going to kill you to go out in the middle of the night.

I reckon if they said "vaccines available from 10pm to the first 500 over 55's who register" they would whack it out. I doubt the over 70s go though. If they are set up and have enough I think they should.

@RosesAndHellebores

I reckon if they said "vaccines available from 10pm to the first 500 over 55's who register" they would whack it out. I doubt the over 70s go though. If they are set up and have enough I think they should.

Yes, the issue is currently that fact that the only people allowed the vaccine don't need to go at 10pm or 2am or 5am, they are getting slots in the daytime so they don't have to go at night.

The way to fill any night-time capacity that can be provided is to offer it to those in the next priority group(s) who don't currently have access to the vaccine in the day time (and after that to any adult). Just to make sure the facilities/sites get used as much as possible. I know my NHS relatives who currently want to help but can't get anyone to use their services would be willing (obviously if they have a full-time job, it might only be once a week, but it is something, just a bit extra to reach the end sooner).

I'd be amazed if everyone said they'd go at 2am, I've read quite a number of versions of this thread, that's a real outlier if there was a unanimous response

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4120986-Would-you-Accept-a-very-late-night-appt-to-get-vaccine?pg=25

88% percent said yes to the question "Would you Accept a very late night appt to get vaccine"?

Over 4000 votes.

I think they might well do but at the moment they are vaccinating the over 80s, which there would be a lot less take up for appointments at 3am, not to mention safety issues when its pitch black and icy outside. I'm sure once we get down the priority list it might be more appropriate but not currently, plus isnt the current limiting factor supply. I'm no fan of the governments handling of this..it's been atrocious, but I think having vaccinated 2m when oxford only started being rolled out late last week is pretty good going.

I think that many people say they will attend a 3am vaccine appt but in reality it will never happen.

Yes, that is probably rather patronising, but I believe it to be true

I would go at anytime.

I think that many people say they will attend a 3am vaccine appt but in reality it will never happen.

Yes I agree. I think there would be a lot of no-shows and unfortunately it would be harder to get people to use up the vaccine at short notice.