No vaccine yet, have to go to work - scared

[RhubarbCrumbling]

Hi
I am group 6 due to 5 separate factors of all are which are group 6 alone. I shielded 2020 until Aug 1st after official letter telling me to. A Gp has manually removed me from shielding which is did not know about so no vaccine for me yet and was not considered in the recent who shall we add to Shielding list due to manual removal.
Receptionist will not let me speak to a Gp, saying no mistake made and to wait my turn. I have a feeling I will be bottom of group 6 jab list now!

I have to go to work on Mon with no PPE, and no vaccination, other colleagues with one condition have had their vaccination due to postcode lottery. I was hoping for a jab before school started on 22nd. I have to be in school every day with teenagers due to nature of my job now I am not on SPL.

Am so scared.
I have been very ill in hospital with in HDU twice and resus once in last few years with normal illnesses that seem to have affected me badly due to my conditions.

Cannot get signed off work as no access to anyone medical as they are too busy to see people due to vaccine roll out. No big hubs here, so done by groups of Gp’s it appears.

Feel sick as 22nd approaches. School just are a business - more people that can be in less money used covering me. And this is without all schools opening up on 8th March.

What do you mean by no access to anyone medical? They are doing vaccines at my GPs too but I had a telephone appointment within an hour and then a face to face appointment a few hours later for an ear infection just a few days ago. Not all staff will be doing vaccinations, and it is the nurses doing it at my GPs. You should still be able to speak to a doctor if you need to.

Three phone calls, 2 emails - receptionist and admin staff refuse me a triage Dr appointment. So can go to A&E, a pharmacist, or ring 111 but not actually talk to someone who chose to remove me from a SPL list, no.

Ring your GP surgery and tell the receptionist you want to speak to a GP about a personal matter. These nazi's cannot stop you speaking to a doctor if you wish. Cannot stand doctors receptionists I don't know who they think they are.

Don’t you have any other current ailment which would warrant a gp appt? 🤷‍♀️ That the receptionist couldn’t refuse. And then during the appt ask why you were removed from the list and point out you’re due back at work.

Receptionists triage whether anyone can have a medical appointment and as mine is not an urgent medical issue not have access to anyone medical.

1 in 3 adults had a vaccine.
Totally outing myself here so will name change soon but I have:
Asthma ( on fostair, ventolin and had steroids and hospitalisation)
Coeliac
Previous gestational diabetes
Had a TIA
Have 3 thrombophlebia factors ( hence cleaner in 3 pregnancies throughout and the TIA)
Have an immune disorder ( quite rare, end up on hospital due to it 2/3 times a year)
Nearing 50, obese but not over 40
Have a mental health condition and am under a cpn and psychiatrist
Have a liver condition

So scared having to be in a school with no vaccination and no 3 weeks for it to work ( I am likely to get Oxford one due to what they are using here) or ability to shield until 31/3 like many people are able to.

Covidcorvid - all appointments are telephone triage and then a nurse appointment. If nurse decides important then calls a Gp in. Have several prescribing nurses.

Did request a conversation with named Gp, several weeks ago, but they declined that request.

I have really tried to get hold of a Gp. Three phone calls just this week, 2 emails. Was told to email - despite them saying previous emails bot received as could not see them! My Cpn has phoned on my behalf. Got nowhere.

I am not making it up!

Got told to use 111 if urgent or see a pharmacist, which is not the issue here.

Call back, tell them you need an appointment for any ailment you can think of, bad back for example to the receptionist and then ask the GP when you have an appointment, your bad back will have for a bit better by the time you have that appointment. I suspect it might have been the receptionist who has taken you off of the list and not the GP and that is why you are not getting an appointment. Or alternatively ask to speak to the practice manager.

I feel your pain, I tried to get an appointment after finding an abnormality in breast before Xmas - finally got one in January. Frightening times when you can't see your GP.

I know exactly how you feel, OP. I am also group six, and I am eagerly awaiting my invite for the jab. A few of my colleagues who are also group six have had their first jabs already, so I wonder if it depends which doctors surgery you are with. I’m back in school full time from tomorrow, and I was so hoping to have the jab before then. Now I’m petrified of getting ill again, and I know that I cannot do my job properly when I feel this way.

Thanks.
Tried practice manager - awaiting response.

I would lie to get hold of a Gp but sadly it will only be a nurse who I get hold of and then will not be able to discuss it.

Yes, no idea if coding error or who has done what, but my experience of medical people is that they do not like to look as if done anything wrong so I am not going to get anywhere. Already been told I am seen as a vaccine queue jumper.

Irony is read far too many threads here of people with one condition getting a jab, or just asking for being on spare list, or just having a call.

1:3 vaccinated adults says Matt Hancock.

Even if I resigned from my post, as a single parent - how do I pay rent or feed my three children if I choose to stop teaching? But if I go to work, who will look after them?

@BrokenCircle hope it goes ok and you get an appointment soon!

I would ring back. Surely it isn't up to a receptionist to decide if you need to speak to a doctor. I can imagine though. The receptionist at first told me i couldn't come in because I had a temp (because I had a really bad inner ear infection). A doctor then rang me back after they must have been talking about it and told me to come straight in. Keep trying or like a pp said, say you need to discuss another health issue.

You need to be firm. Demand politely to speak to a GP. Don't take no for an answer. Phone with your Dh with you. Ask him to speak on your behalf. Be very calm, very polite. Do not get angry. Just insist.

Mon’s job. But tried that Wed, Thu, Fri last week.

Wonder if I walk there would they let me in?

Irony is the building is shut and only allowed in with an appointment, staff have government funded PPE, plastic screens, one person at a time and a door that only opens when they let it so people cannot just go in. Oh and they all had at least one vaccination.

My DH will have to do it on Monday, as I am at school. Other issue with the new system is they phone when it suits them, so what do teachers do with a class? Answer their phones?

Cannot be off sick awaiting a random call. Not that anyone called back last week.

Mid March I have a scan appointment, but it is down as nurse led clinic so no access to a consultant then at hospital. Hoping to not catch covid from going to hospital - have cancelled all but one urgent appointment in 2020 or the hospital have cancelled them.

Good luck with sorting it out, and you have my sympathies. I know it's not terribly helpful, but I think in some ways it is safer during lockdown as restrictions are in place, and hopefully by the time we start coming out you will have had your first dose (group 6 are being done now, I think?).

Apart from the GP, the other thing to do is to see if you can have an occupational health assessment. They may recommend measures to help protect you. I would ask if you can be referred, and see if you can have it and have any measures put in place before going back to work.

I think it's very difficult and a bit unfair as the groups for vaccination do not take into account multiple conditions that increase risk, and other factors such as work exposure.

I would write. Polite letter of complaint to the practice manager. Written letters of complaint must follow the practice policy. Which is likely to be, acknowledging complaint, then investigating then resolution. Could take a bit of time unfortunately, and likely you will be offered jab in that time, but if you genuinely feel you are being overlooked and are anxious, then it's worth getting v things down in writing. Telephone calls can be sweep h see the carpet. Formal written complaints not so much

I have a feeling I will be bottom of group 6 jab list now!

Group 6 is group 6. We don’t have a top or bottom of the list.
Maybe if you phone to book an appointment you could say MH issues? As it is causing you so much anxiety that wouldn’t be a lie. I hope you manage to speak to someone soon op

Have you tried booking? www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

Or calling 119 for advice?

Group 6 vaccinations have only started this week. You are one of 7.3 million people who won’t all be called in for the first week. Please don’t ring your GP to chase for a vaccination when everyone in Group 6 will be contacted in the next few weeks. Try to be patient - hard I know. .

"mine is not an urgent medical issue"

Your grouping for the vaccine is wrong. It's a pandemic. You're at high risk if you were to catch the virus. It's an urgent medical issue.

Book using the link above but honestly, you don't have to give your details to the receptionist.

"I'm not comfortable discussing it with you, I need an urgent appointment today" will do

"Please don’t ring your GP to chase for a vaccination when everyone in Group 6 will be contacted in the next few weeks. Try to be patient - hard I know."

@sansou who are you to tell people not to contact their GP about medical concerns?!

My GP put a fbook post on saying all group 6 texts have been sent and if you think you should be in group 6 to contact them by telephone. Unfortunately some people, like the OP, found them less than helpful.

Booking does not work as here Group 6 is done by Gp invitation only. They are still doing group 5 here.

Main issue is not a vaccine ( know will not get one quickly and complaints have set number of days to do it so that is not a quick process) but that I was CEV, someone has taken me off and not informed me ( which they should) and not told me why.

If not on SPL then I have to go to work, with no vaccine.
Sadly all schools are classed as covid secure, all risk assessments signed off and no point having OH involved. But good idea if not a xschool *@Tupla

I am worried about my individual risk.I think there has been an error to remove me as if I had been officially removed they have to write to inform you.

Thanks @sansou. So you think with my post is about queue jumping. Makes me feel no better.