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Original poster

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

264 replies

Summerflowers209 · 24/02/2021 10:50

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?

OP posts:
KOKOagainandagain · 26/02/2021 16:14

I booked on line without my NHS number. I also received an NHS letter today telling me I was eligible as I receive CA. Had first injection today. No problem. I had booking reference and was on the system. I didn't have to provide additional proof.

Viviennemary · 26/02/2021 16:17

He did queue jump. He should have waited for a call.

RickiTarr · 26/02/2021 16:22

@Viviennemary

He did queue jump. He should have waited for a call.
@Viviennemary do you make it a rule to only post inaccurate, unkind and bigoted things?
KOKOagainandagain · 26/02/2021 16:22

The guy at the gate asking for my booking number, entered it into his device and then referred to me by my first name. Once cleared for access there were no more challenges or need to provide ID.

saraclara · 26/02/2021 16:28

@Viviennemary

He did queue jump. He should have waited for a call.
No.

The information on the website home page is National. But in reality, some parts of the country are further ahead in vaccinating than others. So if you live in one of those areas, you can book even if you don't meet the requirements on the home page, and if you've not yet had a letter (as they're going out nationally).

I heard one day that the hubs in my area were vaccinating 65+ people, when the national guidance still said 70+. I got my letter five days after my vaccination, on the day that the national guidance went to 65+

Me and others going that a few days early made no difference to those in the 70+ bracket, because in my area, they'd already been done. And if they hadn't got round to booking yet, there were loads of appointments still available to them.

Soontobe60 · 26/02/2021 16:30

@Viviennemary
You’d better tell this NHS trust.

Eligible to book on NHS vaccine website - vaccinators say queue jumper
saraclara · 26/02/2021 16:31

...and of course me going early will have helped younger people get their earlier. Because if I hadn't that vaccine and appointment might have gone to waste. I heard that the hubs were worried because, as they'd got ahead, they weren't getting enough people in. Which was going to slow down the vaccination rate. I freed up a slot in the national 65+ period by going early.

ListeningQuietly · 26/02/2021 16:35

My area is taking in all over 55 ...

KOKOagainandagain · 26/02/2021 16:48

I have literally just received a text from my GP inviting me to book.

It is ironic that I have been invited to book as a carer for a clinically vulnerable person before they have been invited to book. Am I deemed to be of more value?

shinynewapple21 · 26/02/2021 16:55

@KeepOnKeepingOnAgainandAgain
I think they are prioritising carers as in some cases the people they are caring for are house bound so the best way to keep the vulnerable person safe is for their carer to be vaccinated.

@Summerflowers209 that is quite shocking that the vaccinators were so rude .

Viviennemary · 26/02/2021 17:03

No. I go off what I believe to be the rules. The vaccinators agreed with me. It's not my fault if the rules are unclear.

RickiTarr · 26/02/2021 17:07

@KeepOnKeepingOnAgainandAgain

I have literally just received a text from my GP inviting me to book.

It is ironic that I have been invited to book as a carer for a clinically vulnerable person before they have been invited to book. Am I deemed to be of more value?

That’s actually slightly disturbing. Shock
duckme · 26/02/2021 17:14

They can call me all the names under the sun if it gets me my vaccine quicker. Honestly OP, don't let it worry you. If he was prompted to book, he's done absolutely nothing wrong.

ScribblingPixie · 26/02/2021 17:45

@Viviennemary

He did queue jump. He should have waited for a call.
No way. The right thing to do is to accept an invitation to book a jab as soon as it's offered, whether that's from the NHS website or your doctor. It's all of our responsibility to get the vaccination process over asap. We're not queueing for a bus FFS!
saraclara · 26/02/2021 17:57

That’s actually slightly disturbing

It isn't really @RickiTarr. If the carer gets ill, not only can they pass it to the person they care for, but the cared-for person risks having no-one to care for them. Which makes them even more vulnerable as there's no-one else to do it. So yes, the carer is the priority sometimes.

RickiTarr · 26/02/2021 18:12

@saraclara

That’s actually slightly disturbing

It isn't really @RickiTarr. If the carer gets ill, not only can they pass it to the person they care for, but the cared-for person risks having no-one to care for them. Which makes them even more vulnerable as there's no-one else to do it. So yes, the carer is the priority sometimes.

Oh no, I agree. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m fully au fait with Carer’s’ issues and caring worries. I’d just expect them to be called more or less at the same time, wouldn’t you? Especially if in the same h/hold and registered at the same surgery.
saraclara · 26/02/2021 19:28

@RickiTarr I imagine the dots haven't been connected then. I don't think members of a household are connected in any way in medical records. So in the absence of that, maybe the carer's age puts them higher on the list? I don't know. But if one or the other had to be prioritised, I think it's as well that it's the carer in this case.

doritodiva · 26/02/2021 20:17

My mom is 61 but the system still won't let her book. My dad is 63 and has been called by the GP to go for his. He's going tomorrow

RickiTarr · 26/02/2021 20:18

Yes maybe @saraclara

wherearethelambs · 26/02/2021 20:35

[quote saraclara]@RickiTarr I imagine the dots haven't been connected then. I don't think members of a household are connected in any way in medical records. So in the absence of that, maybe the carer's age puts them higher on the list? I don't know. But if one or the other had to be prioritised, I think it's as well that it's the carer in this case.[/quote]
I think if the carer and caree are at the same GP practice, they are linked.
The online form for carer registration has both sections if both are at the same GP.
In those cases it would make more sense to invite both at same time.
I went Tuesday, person I care for went today.
Both time we both had to go as person being cared for cannot be left at home alone.
Since person being cared for is on the shielding list and CEV, I had to do the deep cleaning and washing of everything we took/wore and ourselves and the inside of car etc two times. Would much have preferred to only go once, especially since appointments were only 3 days apart. But GP wouldn't book in person being cared for on Tuesday, that was only allowed later in the week.

WombatChocolate · 26/02/2021 21:33

It’s a broad brush system which is designed for speed overall....and it will achieve that by not being nuanced enough to pick up on little details like who lives in the same house. If it were really nuanced, it would be much slower to operate. We have to sacrifice some subtlety and individualisation for the sake of speed. It can be annoying, but I think ultimately it’s the right thing.

ListeningQuietly · 26/02/2021 22:33

as of 6pm tonight, my area is everybody over 50

and the result of the phase 3 trial I saw today was
170,000 people given trial vaccine
ZERO hospitalisations

take it when you can get it
we are all safer day by day

BlueJag · 26/02/2021 23:58

My husband (60) will be having his first jab on Sunday. He got a call last Wednesday to book it over the phone no letter.
I think it's awful to accuse people of queue jumping.

MrsFrisbyMouse · 27/02/2021 09:38

For those querying why group 7 and 8 are getting contacted before people in group 6, it's because there are actually 2 systems running concurrently. It's not just one big ordered list.

Group 6 contacts/appointment are being released by GPs. So are being handled at a local level. There are a lot of people in this group, so it is taking some time to get through them all.

The other groups are managed by the centralised system, that is just churning out in the basis of age, and offering appointments at big vaccination centres and hubs.

It is possible that you can be contacted for a vaccination based on your age before your clinical status (which is why lots of CV have had their vaccinations already.)

It does mean that some 'healthy' people will get their vaccines before more CV - but only by a matter of weeks. The two systems will converge pretty quickly.

ClarasZoo · 27/02/2021 09:41

@ListeningQuietly

as of 6pm tonight, my area is everybody over 50

and the result of the phase 3 trial I saw today was
170,000 people given trial vaccine
ZERO hospitalisations

take it when you can get it
we are all safer day by day

What area is that?