vaccine call up

[Babyroobs]

Does anyone know the process for over eighties being called for their vaccine ? Do their GP surgery submit a list of names or is it done by NHS number or what or do they work down doing higher eighties first then lower ? My 83 year old dad has still not been invited for the vaccine, yet it seems most others in our village have ( I have been asking around friends etc ).

I should add, his GP practice is awful and has been in special measure recently so I was just wondering if it could be anything to do with the surgery.

My grandad got a letter from NHS. He's not been near a Gp for over 30 years so it's not through them so he hasn't any idea how they identified him. Sorry I can't help

Other than that they are supposed to follow the priorities identified by JCVI, each practice/group of practices seem to be doing their own thing. Some by age, some picking out the more vulnerable, some alphabetically.

Have the local health board said anything about getting in touch if you haven't been called?. I follow our health board and docs on Facebook and there was something on there about being in touch if you were over 80 and hadn't been contacted. The docs don't want you calling up and blocking there phones, so I'd checkout the health board website/Twitter/ facebook.

Do you know their NHS number.if you do you can go on website - NHS book a coronavirus vaccination and try and book one there. You can fund the nhs number on repeat prescriptions or hospital letters. Also take a look at the GP surgery website to see what it says.

Either by Letter or text from a central coordination point, with a number to ring for an appointnent. In our area surgeries have been put into groups, so patients at specific surgeries are offered one or two vaccination points but this may change as more locations come on stream. In dm area she was offered 3 locations. There are postal delays in some areas which may be an issue for some receiving theirs. If any others could share the local appointment line number you/he could call.

Our surgery has formed a local vaccination hub with the other surgeries in our town - we get given a list of names in the age group every few days (chosen at random) and we then send texts & call & book the appointments. Patients are also receiving letters centrally offering them an invite to go to a hub near a local city, so they can either do this or wait to hear from us.

@Mindymomo

Do you know their NHS number.if you do you can go on website - NHS book a coronavirus vaccination and try and book one there. You can fund the nhs number on repeat prescriptions or hospital letters. Also take a look at the GP surgery website to see what it says.

MIL did this, got an appointment, got vaccinated. Letter arrived couple of days later, but seems to have been "lost" in the post for a few days.

My Auntie had a csll from her GP. My Mum had a letter.

Thanks all. I will try some of these suggestions for him.

NHS website says you must wait for the letter before booking appointment.

It’s as a PP says.

You WILL be called in by your GP surgery at some point. Every so often we are told how many vaccines we are having delivered. We then get the list of who those vaccines are to be offered to.

NHS England are also sending letters out in addition to this. These will invite you to make an appointment at a larger hub, sometimes miles from home.

Even if you have a letter, if you do nothing with it you will also be called up by your GP when they are able to offer you an appointment.

That said, most areas I believe have either given or booked in the vaccine appointments for over 80’s. I think I would phone to check they have his up to date contact details.

And I say that as someone who works in a GP surgery & answers what feels like a million calls a day from people asking about their Covid vaccine. We started our programme relatively late & are now on 75 to 79.

It does seem a bit haphazard.
DH and I are both extremely clinically vulnerable, same name ,age, GP, address. He has got his vaccine booked, I have heard nothing. I told him to book straight away because at least if one of us is done, that is something. I don't know how they are organising it.
One friend who is in even worse ECV condition than us is in a different borough and he hasn't even had a shielding letter, whereas I have had 6, DH has had 3.

I think I will ring his Gp on monday. It concerns me as his Gp is so bad.

I'm in the over 70s group. My GP surgery called me on Thursday and I had my injection this morning. I honestly don't know how it works, I presume every surgery works differently.

My uncle and his partner got a letter from the NHS and went to one of the hubs. A week later she got a call from her GP inviting her to go for her vaccine. It doesn't seem very joined up in this area!

Yes it seems unfair if over 70's are being called up in some areas yet some over 80's still haven't. My df lives alone and wont even see us or form a bubble with us as he sees us as a risk ( large family with teens), so he literally has barely seen anyone for a year almost.

My mum had hers on Thursday - I chased it in the end and it had turned out they were using an old phone number so couldn’t contact her . Worth chasing.

@TheRuleofStix

My mum had hers on Thursday - I chased it in the end and it had turned out they were using an old phone number so couldn’t contact her . Worth chasing.

Thanks I will. He has been in the same house for 60 years and same phone number all that time I think !

There are two routes. One is via the national booking system, using the code on a NHS letter. The other is via a “call” from the GP practice grouping. Both use the national GP spine as a database. A GP call can be by phone, text or letter.

Some over 80’s may not have been sent the NHS letter if they didn’t live near a mass site..

At this stage bid he has not been contacted it is probably right to contact the gp surgery to find out why.

The code on the letter is just your NHS number. The booking website says you need to have received a letter but it lets you book without one - it just checks date of birth.

@Babyroobs

NHS website says you must wait for the letter before booking appointment.

Ignore. Also MIL's GP had already told her they weren't involved in any way, sounds like your GP, so I would bypass completely. Your dad is eligible for first vacs, so no guilt in going this route.

@JellyBabiesSaveLives

The code on the letter is just your NHS number. The booking website says you need to have received a letter but it lets you book without one - it just checks date of birth.

Thank you Jelly I have just managed to book one for next Saturday ! he is very pleased. Thank you.

Thanks to everyone. I have just tried to book the same way for my CEV husband but it wont let me book for him yet, hopefully not too long.