Underlying health condition doesn’t qualify?

[Ellietheant]

Has anyone else on here had an underlying condition they expected to be vaxed for but told no??
My hubby has Congenital Heart Valve Disease which is monitored annually with scans and consultant meetings, he gets all the NHS flu/pneumatic jabs etc.

But when he wasn’t called up in this cohort I called his GP and they said he doesn’t qualify so will be called up by age.

We are really shocked, especially with the kids going back to school soon we’ve been holding onto this as a little extra protection for him.

Does anyone know if the GPs have any say in this? Ours said they’re sticking strictly to guidelines even though guidelines include Congenital Heart Disease. Does putting the word valve in there change this?

Anyone else had anything like this or trying to fight it??

They’ve always made a song and dance about his heart at every other opportunity so why now? And how can they say he has to have flu vax but not this which is a far worse disease. Just doesn’t add up??

Same with asthma. It's a political move to make them magically hit their targets.

I have two mutually exclusive chronic neurological conditions (fun for me ) and I don't qualify!

I have had covid and it did trigger an attack of one of them, though it's not something I would need hospital treatment for so I guess that's why.

@Ellietheant it’s best he diesels to his consultant.

Speaks.

I know, I was shocked that asthmatics weren’t on there. Surely they’re more at risk than anyone?? I thought it was being done well up until this week

Asthmatics have always suffered badly in this. At the beginning my mum thought she would have to shield but she was on the wrong inhaler and the wrong dose, despite having severe asthma attacks occasionally. Thankfully it is now nearly her turn through age. She's been terrified and has had to work throughout

Dd recently been diagnosed with Chrone's - advised not to take meds yet due to Covid risk. Now can't have jab as doesn't take meds....

There are two threads going on heart disease. it's really odd that it is so overlooked.

My DH also has heart valve disease. Unbeknownst to him, he had been kicked off the flu vaccine list several years ago. He had to beg to be done this year. his consultant wasn't happy.

He ahs been told that he is group 6 for vaccine but not to expect to ear any time soon.

Not sure why people with heart problems are being made to feel such a nuisance but it does seem to be a theme.

Maybe the British heart Foundation needs to get as involved as various diabetes and asthma campaign groups have.

Group 6 is the only group open to interpretation by GPs which is definitely causing some issues.

I haven't heard anything from my GP either. I have a heart valve problem and have regular echos and I'm on the flu vac list every year. I thought I might be in group 6. I've luckily had my first dose and due my second this week as I'm a nurse. It's very frustrating for people and doesn't seem to make a lot of sense at times!

Everyone has been put in the stage that they should be in bar the odd few errors. If your condition isn’t on the the list you don’t have an underlying health condition that would require you to have the vaccination early. It’s as simple as everyone waiting their turn. A lot of county’s are in stage 6 already so it won’t be that long. And the asthma argument goes on and on, not all asthmatic people need to be vaccinated early either. It depends on lots of different things, again wait your turn!!

That doesn't appear to be correct, though, does it? OP's DH should be in group 6.

He should phone his consultant. DH has COPD and wasn't called in the last few weeks, he phoned his GP to ask could he have it and they said no you don't qualify. He phoned his consultant who went mad because DH should have got a sheilding letter last year, never mind this time around.
An email was sent to the GP from the hospital and DH got his vaccine 2 days later.

@Piggywaspushed

Group 6 is the only group open to interpretation by GPs which is definitely causing some issues.

I know and I find this really unfair. They’ve had a year surely someone could’ve come up with a better, clearer list? I’ve actually just read a BHF thread where two people have said they’ve been offered the vaccine and have my husbands condition, and they’re only reviewed every 5 years so I assume a less progressed disease. If you have a stubborn/control freak GP then basically your fucked.

Yeah, never did get an explanation as to why mine was taken off the flu list!!

He has never been offered pneumonia jab so need to look into that.

Ironically, he has had his heart check up postponed until he has covid jab!!

@Nhsisfucked

Everyone has been put in the stage that they should be in bar the odd few errors. If your condition isn’t on the the list you don’t have an underlying health condition that would require you to have the vaccination early. It’s as simple as everyone waiting their turn. A lot of county’s are in stage 6 already so it won’t be that long. And the asthma argument goes on and on, not all asthmatic people need to be vaccinated early either. It depends on lots of different things, again wait your turn!!

I imagine from your response and bitterness towards my post you had decided what you were going to post on this thread as soon as you read the title and before you even clicked on it?

Not that you’ll bother or that I should have to explain this but if you fancy going on the BHF page for valve disease you’ll see that people with that are at a higher risk of serious complications from COVID so unfortunately your perfect list isn’t so perfect after all. Maybe don’t bother posting unless you can be genuinely helpful??

ME/CFS is ambiguous for a Covid jab. Because the Chronic Neurological Conditions category is not an exhaustive list of all qualifying conditions it's been left up to GPs to decide whether to put sufferers in Group 6 or not. Some GPs (including mine) are refusing to add any ME sufferers regardless of the severity of their condition, until the JCVI explicitly lists ME/CFS in the green book guidance.

@Cocolapew

He should phone his consultant. DH has COPD and wasn't called in the last few weeks, he phoned his GP to ask could he have it and they said no you don't qualify. He phoned his consultant who went mad because DH should have got a sheilding letter last year, never mind this time around. An email was sent to the GP from the hospital and DH got his vaccine 2 days later.

Thank you, we’ve had a chat and he’s going to do this first thing Monday!

Good luck!

Sorry to hear this. Unfortunately it seems like a lot of people are in the same boat (there's a whole thread of asthmatics in this position).

I am worried that the government is still claiming that all vulnerable groups will be vaccinated by spring, but there are lots of people on the NHS clinically vulnerable list who aren't included in this. Some GPs seem to be offering the jab to vulnerable people who don't meet the new criteria and others aren't, so it's luck of the draw really. I'm hoping they will at least put us at the front of the queue for the second round of vaccinations ahead of people with no underlying conditions.

Yep! I'm asthmatic and would describe my asthma as moderate as I take 2 add on treatments - Fostair and Montelukast. Have never had an overnight admission to hospital or 3 courses of steroids in 3 months so I have to wait for them to vaccinate people my age. I feel the criteria for asthma and group 6 is too restrictive. I know people with asthma who were hospitalised with Covid and now have long Covid and worse asthma than before. All of them had well controlled asthma - brown preventer daily and hardly ever needed ventolin - they wouldn't have qualified for the vaccine.

I also have:
Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex
Ehlers-Danlos
Psoriasis and possible psoriatic arthritis
Fibro
POTs
Plus various other issues like Raynauds.

I don't think any of those necessarily make me vulnerable on their own (aside from the asthma which raises my risk of long Covid) but I have a sense of disquiet that I have a lot 'wrong' with me including an autoimmune disease. EB is rare so I'm not sure how much info there will be on the impact of Covid on people with EB.

I will be very glad when they start vaccinating people my age!

I have a congenital heart valve defect which causes me no symptoms and I've been invited for the vaccine under group 6. The Green Book specifically says congenital heart disease is in group 6 so I would query this further.

I'm confused by the list too.

It has neurological conditions. Names MND, MS and Parkinson's. Has CP as separate names condition.

Ds condition is basically a combination of all these in a very basic layman's sense. But we aren't allowed to ring GP to see if they get the vaccine because of it.

They have to ring and offer it. He's also a flu jab candidate. He's 16.

Hi I had a bleed on the brain, epilepsy and collapsed lungs. I was not called up but I then contacted my dr who said it had been a computer error. But as your dr has said no is it worth getting a 2nd opinion maybe his consultant who he gets the yearly check with ? Good luck it’s so scary at the moment I hope u get it sorted

Group six does seem to be confusing, my partner has arthrogryposis which put him in group six, we thought he would be vaccinated with his age group so we weren’t expecting his vaccine invite at all.