No vaccination centres in Medway

[MedwaymumofMany]

My mum is 76 and was invited to have her covid jab. But in Maidstone or Gravesend.

Seeing that this new strain originated in Kent, how can this be?

My mum doesn’t know either area and only gets around by bus. She can’t get the vaccine now without me driving 160 miles round distance and taking her.

There is no way on earth she would get in taxi

In some areas there are volunteer drivers taking people for their vaccinations, may be worth looking into that.

Yes I saw that on the news, I have asked mum to chase that up with the gp. Medway is such a densely populated area and the hospital has been in melt down with taxis queuing outside for hours then diverting some patients who had been outside in a ambulance for 5-10 hours.

Seems weird to not a vaccination centre in Medway. It’s got some very deprived residents too.

I live nearby. I'll take your mum if you like, I work for the nhs so am dbs checked and have had my vaccine x

My friend had hers at Parkwood clinic on Saturday.

Some of my family members have been vaccinated in Medway over the last couple of weeks. Not sure whether it was at their GP or elsewhere but it was definitely within Medway.

No vaccination centres in Medway

Not true. There may be no mass vaccination centres, but there are places offering jabs in Medway.

www.kentandmedwayccg.nhs.uk/your-health/coronavirus/covid19vaccine

The hospital has a vaccination centre which is expanding.
I heard Woodland Med a centre in Gillingham is doing them.
More are being set up.

www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/three-sites-put-forward-for-vaccine-centre-241618/

Are there any friends/neighbours who could take her?

My MIL had hers in Rochester a couple of weeks ago . @MedwaymumofMany have you looked on her GP website to find out if they belong to a vaccination group , whereabouts in Medway is she ?

Floral, the link I posted says which GPs are operating as hubs and which others are linked with them. At least one hub in each of the towns, I think.

A two second Google found the information.

Thanks for this info. I wonder why NHS has only offered her outside of Medway? Gillingham and Chatham are easy for her to get to. She was only given the options of Gravesend or Maidstone by the NHS phone caller, when she said she couldn’t get there, they told her to talk to her GP.

She is going to ask her gp in the morning. My mum gets easily confused ( not dementia ).

She has had offers of help from her neighbours but she never takes offers of help up. So thank you or the lovely offer of help, but I’m not she she would accept it. She probably wouldn’t get in a taxi even I pre booked and paid for it.

I will google her gp. I have had covid recently but it still would be preferable to keep my distance until she has been jabbed I think. But possibly reasonable safe if need to.

Thanks for the info, very helpful. I knew Chiste was on the news about it last week so presumed when mum phoned tonight it sounded plausible

I believe some surgeries are giving the vaccine at the Healthy Living Centre at Lordswood in Chatham.

@UserEleventyNine my mums gp is on that link, Medway Hospital isn’t offering vaccines unless your NHS, care or going in for appointments. Thanks for the link.

Looking at it, worse case i can book her in via Boots In Chatham if needed. Or some mass vaccination sites are due to open this week. Thanks again.

There are two systems running in parallel which is confusing - the mass vaccination centres which she has been invited to (Gravesend and Maidstone) and then the GP led vaccination programme.

If she doesn't want to go to Gravesend or Maidstone she should wait to be contacted by her GP when they start doing the over 70s. Those ones will be at Lordswood Healthy Living Centre or another local place depending on her GP - check here www.kentandmedwayccg.nhs.uk/your-health/coronavirus/covid19vaccine