What happens if you are booking on the website as frontline staff but you are not

[TheAvenger]

I am a carer for a severely disabled child. Was always coded as a carer at the GP. but I work and earn slightly over the threshold for carers allowance and for that reason, my GP removed my carers flag last week. I cannot now book via the website as an unpaid carer (which I am). but I can book by saying I am frontline staff.

Would it work if I book via this route but take all my evidence for caring work (DLA paperwork, EHCP, Carers Card from local charity) and rock up to the appointment as a carer which I genuinely am (but did not book it as such).

GP will not budge and I have no energy left to fight with them.

Anyone else did this as a work around?

Have you tried speaking to someone at 119? Say the Gp removed you and you can’t get through on the phone but have all your docs? I think it’s absolutely disgraceful.

School staff providing 1:1 personal care for children can get vaccines as key workers looking after SEN children so not sure why you can’t.

How close are you to your local vaccine hub? When we went my DH asked to go on reserve list we just waiting for call, could you pop down and speak to someone there? The nurse outside was lovely

You would probably need staff ID - I did.

I would complain to the practice manager and provide them with the government guidelines that confirm that carers who are not entitled to carers allowance are still entitled to a vaccine. You might need proof of your child's DLA.

@Thoughtcontagion

Have you tried speaking to someone at 119? Say the Gp removed you and you can’t get through on the phone but have all your docs? I think it’s absolutely disgraceful.

School staff providing 1:1 personal care for children can get vaccines as key workers looking after SEN children so not sure why you can’t.

unpaid carers are in priority group.

I have paid carers coming in. They’ve all been asked to give the name of the agency and work ID when going for their jab.

I would complain to the practice manager and provide them with the government guidelines that confirm that carers who are not entitled to carers allowance are still entitled to a vaccine. You might need proof of your child's DLA.

I did. DC gets high rate DLA, is at a special school for children with complex needs. They are having none of it. it just shows that DC needs excessive care but it no proof that I am doing it apparently. Since noone is claiming carers allowance for DC, the fairyies must be doing all the work but not me.

The one person I know who got round the GP, (similar but they were asking to be added they were not removed) asked for social services to provide a risk assessment. That whilst not clinically vulnerable, the complex needs would endanger the child getting appropriate medical attention putting an extremely vulnerable child at risk.

@PleaseStopExplaining

I have paid carers coming in. They’ve all been asked to give the name of the agency and work ID when going for their jab.

Thanks, so I suppose my work around idea wasn't so great after all. Oh well, thanks for the info anyways. Probably saved me a trip.

You could complain to your local healthwatch

here

Or to your local CCG

Or ask on your local SN Facebook group if you have one. In my area the local Carer's centre is dealing with issues regarding this.

I had to use work email and take ID as frontline staff.

That’s awful! What a shitty thing to do!

Speak to the practise manager, you don’t need to be receiving carers allowance to be a cader.

resting practice manager is having none of it. The odd thing is I was a carer but have been removed as part of the covid vaccine drive.

if possible, change GP practice - use the online registration form, you could be all set up at new practice within a day or two. Register as acarer with new GP using the online form on their website.
Failing that your local carers organisation should be able to help. If you don't know what that is, contact CarersUK who should point you in the right direction.

I honestly think there is a deliberate strategy to remove eligibility from certain groups so that the government targets can be seen to be met. Asthma has now been removed from group 6 despite asthmatic having been told to take extra precautions for the last year. I'm sorry this is happening to you, I feel you've been bumped aside to make it easier for targets to be hit.

1:1 SEN. Is this actual fact @Thoughtcontagion?

If the website allows you to book an appointment, you get jabbed. The ability to book is the gatekeeping process.

@Jellybean27 I know people who have yes in mainstream school.

The sen staff thing depends upon councils. Here it is only if the staff member works closely with a CEV child.

Some of my friends don’t receive CA so they filled in some sort of form at their GP surgery (carer pack or something) and became registered as a carers. I would give a call to the local carer’s centre, what would be their advice because you need to sort it out anyway.
In our local group a few parents phoned 119 and said that they want to book as they are carers. They’ve got appointments. I don’t know the results yet as most’ve booked for Friday/ Saturday.

And I wouldn’t tell to 119 that GP remove you and so on. Just phone, press the option for booking and say you have disabled child, you are his carer and you want to book. That’s it.

@greenlynx

And I wouldn’t tell to 119 that GP remove you and so on. Just phone, press the option for booking and say you have disabled child, you are his carer and you want to book. That’s it.

I did that but the computer at 119 says I am not eligible. They explained that their system is linked to the GP system and unless I am a coded carer, they cannot book me. does not matter what I do. Unless I have a GP who will code me as a carer (which I don't), I am stuck.

The problem is they have changed the definition, those who got coded last week might not get coded this week with the same documentation. I hope the majority of surgeries will not spend time reviewing and removing codes but the new guidelines can be interpreted to allow them to do so. Who knows what the next guidance will be.

boul, I am still a carer even of I don't meet the definition for the covid vaccine (because I work). But in the general (outside covid) NHS definition, I am still a carer. That's why I do not understand why my code has been removed.

I am horrified for you. I responded on a different thread about the dangers of removing codes. The codes were not set up for covid they were set up for the risk being a carer. Which in my opinion are just as dangerous as covid.

Some of our local vaccination centres are turning away parent carers, who have booked online, and do receive carers allowance and have bought the paperwork with them. They have been told that they haven't got down the list to parent carers yet, whereas other parent carers I know have gone go centres near by and it's been fine. Seems to be a lot of confusion over unpaid carers.