moving house and waiting for Vaccine letter - anyone had this?

[Gingenius]

Hi,
DH is in the ECV category and so should be getting vaccine by mid feb. We've been waiting for 'the letter' but nothing yet. My concern is that we are are due to complete on our house sale and move imminently- I'll set up a mail redirect but have convinced myself that we are going to miss his letter.
We were due to move house well before the winter wave hit but due to two buyers falling through we are later than planned - not ideal doing house moving stuff with a shielder in tow during the winter peak!

Does anyone know how they get your contact details - i.e. if i register with a GP near the new house ASAP will his letter just go there do you think? I would have thought so but really just looking for some reassurance!

DH is ECV. He never got a letter. Just a text asking him to come for his vaccine the following day.

As long as your GP has an up to date mobile number you should be fine.

I'd phone your current GP and see what they say. Normally when you register for a new GP they have a check up appointment. That should now still go ahead but over the phone. I'd tell them that he's ECV and have them chase it up.

I think most vaccine appointments are by text at the moment with some even being a phone call.

Thanks @Ponoka7 that is a good idea. And thanks @dannydyerismydad that is useful to know: if he gets a text we don't need to worry about a letter - interesting it was only a days notice: new house is a 6 hour round trip to our old place so if the appt is based on old address he'll have a bit of a drive! TBH we'd commission a shuttle to the moon and back for the jab!

ah great @BlueTimes another one confirming text rather than letter. Love mumsnet! this is totally putting my mind at ease.....

I got a text from my hospital team with a link to book. Booked and had it two days later. Easy and no paper letter.

I hope mine isn't a text, I have no mobile signal!

I got a text.

But if a letter has been sent you can book online here

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

You could always check this every few days to see if it lets you book. I don't think you would need to have the letter in your possession as long as one had been sent.

I was called by my GP. No letter

It won't be a letter, but if it is surely you will set up a mail redirection service for a few months when you move so you will get it anyway?!

I am in exactly the same situation, I have decided to have the vaccine after we have moved, mid feb, things are going to be hectic at home to get ready for the move, as we are downsizing.

There are three basic types of vaccination services.

Hospital hubs established to do staff employed by them or others. They will do some patients but that’s not their role as patients get discharged and won’t be around for the second dose.

GP hubs. These were established alongside the hospitals in December and early January. As GP practices they have your contact details and systems to contact you directly by text, phone or letter. They usually text or phone to give you access to their appointments

Vaccination sites (includes pharmacies). These all use the national booking system. It is accessible by your NHS number or personal details. It’s not yet open for CEV. It will use the current/active GP registration information on his address to find a site.

Put very simply he will get an offer from the GP hubs and the vaccination sites. Use which ever comes first.

The second dose will be a slight complication in that he won’t be returning to the same service. But his GP record will know what he had and when to generate the call. But his new service may not be using the same vaccine so he will need to shop around to get the match. Probably best to ask for AZ as that will be easier to access for second dose.

Forgot to say the letter comes from the National Booking system used by the vaccination sites. It is generated from the national GP list spine.

So it’s both a call from your local GP service (phone and text are how they do it) and a letter from the national booking system.

NB GPs aren’t on the booking system. To use their sites you need to reply to their messages.

Might seem a bit messy but by using the existing GP call and recall the UK was able to mobilise fast. All those big numbers atm are because of GPs being able to crack on whilst the national booking system and mass sites were getting ready.

The other good news is the recording systems are connected wherever you get it.

@LemonTT Thanks for that crystal clear explanation. If all goes put that information out it would save a huge amount of confusion and worry.

All GPs...

Thanks @LemonTT really useful! Thanks everyone for your comments: I actually thought I was going to get flamed for choosing to move house with an ECV DH but everyone has been so helpful and helped take away one of the trillion sources of stress in my life at the moment.

@Gingenius I feel the same lived here for nearly 18 years and chose too move in the middle of a pandemic. ECV too. But you know when it’s time to move, don’t you. Life doesn’t stop because of a pandemic. Wishing you all the very best.

I’ve booked DH’s today for Sunday using the NHS booking site and his NHS number (I checked yesterday and couldn’t book but could today) without a letter. You book you 2nd appointment at the same time and it gives you the option to book at the same place or somewhere different.

Hi you don't need the letter, you just can book online - I just did for DH who is CEV

You need the NHS number and date of birth, you can ring 119 or do it online. I just kept checking and it went live here in my area today for the CEV to make bookings so I booked for him.

They give you a code to take with you.

Thanks everyone: following your advice I tried on the website with his NHS number and he’s got an appt for Monday. Whoop whoop! And you can choose where you book so 2nd appt is local to the new house. Fabulous mumsnet fixing my life again!