Eligible to book on NHS vaccine website - vaccinators say queue jumper

[Summerflowers209]

My dad is 63 and had his vaccine today by booking the appointment via the NHS booking link. As of yesterday over 60s became eligible. However, the vaccinators at his appointment were not impressed and said he should not have booked as he is not over 65 and he should have waited for a letter. They said he has queue jumped. Is this right? That if it allows you to book, you shouldn't unless you receive a letter?

Thank you OP, I have now managed to get both my parents who are between 60-65 in.

I was kind of assuming the patients in these stories (or at least most of them) were putting in accurate information and being granted appointments despite being ineligible

“I told a pack of lies to the Covid vaccine booking page, and my fraud was successful” would be a completely different thread wouldn’t it?

The post you commented on @RickiTarr said that people were being asked their role , that's only a question if you've booked through one of the job related links not the gov.uk NHS one. Nothing to do with government IT systems not being up to standard.

Totally valid to criticise the private companies that designed a system that wasn't fraud proof though. As far as I can see the only way to cheat the NHS system would be to pretend to be someone else who does currently qualify, not that I want to give anyone ideas

@Ch3rish and even that wouldn't work as you need to show ID

[quote Summerflowers209]@Ch3rish and even that wouldn't work as you need to show ID[/quote]
That's good to know but I wonder if that's 100% enforced at every centre

I’m an unpaid Carer... not eligible for Carers Allowance sir to husband’s earnings... can I book? In my 50s

If you get sent a link from nhs or letter just book.
Some people just like to moan/ cause drama or be just twats .

*due to obvs

Your poor Dad on what should have been a happy occasion. I can understand asking for ID for the health workers or the system just wouldn't work, but age wise and for CEV - It is a very efficient system as far as I can see and they should trust the IT and make everyone feel welcome.

I tried but no luck. Unpaid carers have to wait.

@Pinkycheeks yep doesn't work unless the system recognises you get CA. I get the carers element of UC and DS gets DLA and severe disability premiums but I'm not eligible for CA because I'm a student. Very annoying, GP have already been arsey about listing me as a carer as apparently 'you can't be a carer if you have a child that young, you're just their parent' I doubt they have put me in the correct category.

@pinkycheeks hopefully this link works, big thread on it running here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4171471-Vaccine-unpaid-carers?msgid=105002045

@Pinkycheeks

I’m an unpaid Carer... not eligible for Carers Allowance sir to husband’s earnings... can I book? In my 50s

Your husband’s earnings don’t affect your eligibility, only your own. It’s not a benefit that is calculated on household income. So you should claim.

www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility

@Pinkycheeks

workingfamilies.org.uk/articles/carers-allowance/

They sound like jobsworths, OP. I booked my 60-year-old DH an appointment last night for this afternoon after the Mumsnet tip and he was welcomed warmly at the vaccination centre (N London). They asked if was a carer but that was all, and we're both very relieved that at least one of us has been jabbed. There was tons of availability when I booked too.
We need to storm this thing, no need to hang back. The website has obviously been adjusted to allow us to do this for a reason.

I was going to add, as someone who has been working at a vaccination centre, once someone arrives to a booked appointment we aren’t cross examining them further as to why they’ve been allowed to book.

It’s a smaller GP run facility so not available to book online or via 119. We aren’t vaccinating health care workers either, just patients of local surgeries.

If someone’s GP surgery has booked them in then that’s that. We have had some very young people through this week in the CEV category.

If your dad was allowed to book then he is eligible. Simple as that really.

The info isn’t clear enough as this thread shows.

The message has been so loudly pronounced ‘do not contact the NHS but wait to hear’ that people are terrified of being a pest or queue jumping or doing something wrong and it means appointments don’t get taken.

People dont understand who can and cannot use the national booking system (the website linked to upthread) and it doesn’t help that the front page lists only those over 64, when clearly those up to 60 can book on it.
Quite why this can’t be caudate on the front page is unclear but confusing to people.

Group 6 which is massive, can’t book on the general system, but have to wait for a text or call or letter from GP and then get links to local hubs to book which use different booking systems. But the problem here is the confusion and uncertainty for many about if they are in that group. Government info is available but doesn’t seem to list all conditions or to be applied consistently by GPs or whoever issues the appointments. And this group are worried because they know it’s a large group and many GPS have large messages telling people not to ask which group they are in....,.so they wait daily without even knowing if they can expect to be called in this cohort or might not be until far later in the summer.

I get that it’s a massive job and that some areas can go faster than others, but the communication is very poor and could resolve a lot of the issues.

Some GPs have a Facebook page and update weekly to say which groups are being done. Some have that info on their websites....but some still have out of date info saying they are doing over 70s when people know they are doing Group 6 o Group 5 or even Group 7 now. They are busy but a weekly update which people can access. Would remove anxiety and reduce calls. Because as can be seen from these threads, when people just don’t know, they DO end up calling anyway, and often encounter a grumpy person.

People need to understand better who is being called to the mass centres and who is GP led (lots don t know this) and they need reliable updates about which groups are being done.

Group 6 in particular need to know if they are actually in that group. There are lots of reports of people missed off and when they ask and it’s identified they are then added....but that wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t asked, so it’s catch-22.

Better communication is possible without a doubt.

I agree Wombat.

They are wrong.

I am eligible for vaccination now, but I won’t receive a letter telling me that. Mine is booked for two weeks time. If anyone there accuses me of queue jumping, they will be wrong.

Thanks to those posting threads about booking direct on the NHS site without a letter I went on last night. The wording is now 64 or over and I booked myself in for Monday.

I'm surprised your dad was chastised and sorry that he was made to feel uncomfortable. The good news is that they did and he's protected. Some people just love power and use it unjustly.

Thank you OP
Both parents (61 and 63) booked in today via the link and off to be vaccinated at a big centre next Tues. They were so worried about being seen as queue-jumpers though and did take some convincing to show that unless they had been flagged on the NHS central system as eligible they wouldnt be able to book (I showed them a screenshot of the clear "you are not eligible" notice I got when I put my NHS number in as proof!)

Your dad was just seen by a nasty idiot. Tell him to forget about it.

I am definitely not a website expert so would be prepared to be educated as to the degree of difficulty, but why on earth when they open up to another age group can they not update the age statement on the front page?

I got a bit of a grilling when I went for mine. Got a text from the GP last week with a link and telling me to book (as did DH). We both have health conditions but didn't think we were CV, and decided maybe the new guidelines + postcode were at play. DH got questioned on health conditions and a raised eyebrow from the nurse administrating the vaccine, I had similar questions along with being asked for details of my GP and eventually 'well we'll give it to you as you're here'. Felt very guilty and apologised but not sure what else I was supposed to do . . .

( we are early 40s)

@RickiTarr I booked appointment as carer and took DLA letter and showed at hospital along with photo ID. DLA letter is addressed to me so my husband will take kids birth certificate to show he is father and also carer.