Should I say I’m a carer and CEV for the vaccine?!

[rosegoldsaber]

I’m group 6 (underlying health conditions)

This is on my medical records, I spoke to the Dr yesterday who confirmed but couldn’t give me a timescale for when Id get my vaccine.

I’m due back to work in 3 weeks (on mat leave) and I work in a school.
I’m anxious about going back without the vaccine.

To date, 3 people I know have now has their vaccines but don’t qualify!
Two are 30 and 36 and the other 43!

I’ve tried to book online and it won’t allow me.
The only way it lets me get as far as booking an appointment is if I say I’m a carer and CEV!

I’m not trying to jump the que, I am eligible but it just seems that group 6 is a big mess and I’m totally fed up that people who aren’t even eligible have had theirs.

I really don’t want to go back to work without a vaccine.

What will happen if I book online and show up.
Will they turn me away?

When I say they’re not eligible it’s because I KNOW they aren’t. I’m not just assuming!

The algorithm for working out who is eligible under priority group six isn’t straightforward. They ARE eligible for a particular reason, even if that reason is that their GP surgery has made a mistake. The intricate detail of their medical records won’t be known to you.

Do you really want to risk the embarrassment of being caught out lying at vaccination centre in front of everyone and sent home?

No to queue lumping and lying.

I think the GPs control their list so they can give the allotted vaccines to people who are the most vulnerable of the group 6. Not the squeakiest wheel.

I know a 59 yo obese diabetic who is unvaccinated and going back to school next week. They have been asked to help with the lateral flow testing! Thankfully they said no.

GP said they must wait their turn. Guess the GP’s are not too worried about protecting the nhs in individual cases 🤷🏼‍♀️

When I say they’re not eligible it’s because I KNOW they aren’t. I’m not just assuming!

And people don's always share their stuff. Their severe mental illness, their child's disability, their caring responsibility. If you think they do, you don't know people.

Group six can’t book via main site. If you tick ECV or Carer you will be asked for proof if you have booked through main site. Lots being turned away.

Call your surgeries receptionist and ask them to check in which group you are. I did that it turned out that I wasn't put in group 6. They fixed it and let me book there and then.

@bungobango

Call your surgeries receptionist and ask them to check in which group you are. I did that it turned out that I wasn't put in group 6. They fixed it and let me book there and then.

@bungobango

Already done that. I am group 6!

My GP are apparently going alphabetically through group 6 though, not by any kind of most-vulnerable first method.

Obviously I wouldn’t condone lying in order to book online, and the system won’t let you anyway, you can’t tell them that you’re CEV, the shielding list is built into the system.

The frustration is that the OP is entitled to the vaccine now; group 6 is currently being vaccinated, so it’s not queue jumping, just wanting to get the vaccine at a central hub rather than a local one.

I had mine this morning and I saw two people being turned away as they had managed to book but weren't actually eligible. Neither of them were very happy, it was a bit awkward!

@Woodandsky

The frustration is that the OP is entitled to the vaccine now; group 6 is currently being vaccinated, so it’s not queue jumping, just wanting to get the vaccine at a central hub rather than a local one.

Thanks. I’m glad someone else sees it from my POV.

Who knows how it's working. I work in a school where the youngest don't need to social distance but I do have underlying health conditions. So I am having mine next week. We've been luck to have no cases in our bubble.

Yes group 6 is a mess.
Yes they will turn you away
I've been dealing with the fall out all week.

There is an ECV list. You can't pretend you are. If you are working in a school, won't you be having regular testing? DD does 2 a week. I'm sure you won't have long to wait. They are currently up to 6 on the priority list. There are people I know being contacted to have their vaccine who had no idea they were vulnerable. Quite a few people I know were surprised to be invited but it was something on their medical records that got them there.

“ Their severe mental illness, their child's disability, their caring responsibility. ”

OP, how did these people jump the queue? We are all a bit baffled as to how, hence why some of us are insisting you must just not know the legitimate reason why they qualified.

To register as a carer you have to give details such as the name of the GP practice of the person you are caring for. And unless you get Carer's Allowance you can't book on the central hub.

[quote rosegoldsaber]@Woodandsky

The frustration is that the OP is entitled to the vaccine now; group 6 is currently being vaccinated, so it’s not queue jumping, just wanting to get the vaccine at a central hub rather than a local one.

Thanks. I’m glad someone else sees it from my POV.[/quote]
It is queue jumping if you need to lie to get the appointment. A lot of people are in group six and until it’s your turn within group six, you will be queue jumping. Different parts of the country are running to slightly different schedules.

Just be patient. You aren't CEV so don't lie and say you are.

Essentially there are 2 lists running concurrently and they use different booking systems.

1. National booking system based on age or caring status. This is covering group 5 and now 7 and soon 8 and 9.

1. GP led booking system for those in Group 6.

The reality is that lots in Group 6 will be done after or at the same time as Groups 7,8,9 because it is so big.

It is frustrating for peoole in Group 6 on several levels. Firstly lots of people aren't even sure if they are in that group and GPs are not entirely consistent in putting people in the group. Secondly, rather than having an open invitation to book, people, have to wait for the text or letter or call which enables them to book, usually at a GP hub using a localised booking system instead of the national system....and it will take a long time to get that invitation to everyone. Because those in group 6 assumed they were higher priority than groups 7,8,9 they imagined they would be done first, but sheer numbers mean group 5 finishes before group 6 and they move into 7 and then 8 etc. People do t realise (not surprisingly) that essentially 2 lists are running. And the 2nd GP led list of Group 6 is at different stages for different areas....some just starting and some far further through it.

It would have been better if they had put called Group 6, Group 6, but called them something different to run alongside groups 5-9 rather than suggesting by the ladder diagrams etc that group 6 would be done before group 7. The sheer numbers suggested that wasn't likely to be the case when GPs handle one type of person (clinical priorities) and the bigger centres handle the age group based ones. Perhaps when the diagrams and initial lists were drawn up it wasn't known that GPs would deal with some and not others. I think it's also confused a bit by the fact that some people who get offered the jab via the NHS booking system for age related vaccine at a mass centre choose not to take it because they prefer the more local GP hub....it then means group 6 take longer still to get to. Personally, for non-vulnerable groups who are under 60, I would only offer the mass sites and just tell people they need to go there, as some of those centres are us RE capacity and it would allow local hubs to deal with the vulnerable faster. For a healthy 50-60 year old to travel 30 mins or so to the mass hub, doesn't seem unreasonable. I can see it wouldn't have been viable for older groups, but for younger, healthy groups it would get the system moving faster.

"Yes they will turn you away"

Who will?

And going back to the overall Q, if you are Group 6, you need to wait for Group 6 booking to contact you. You're not eligible for the NHS booking system method at the moment. You would be lying on some aspect to get a vaccine and that is queue jumping. You are essentially in a different queue which is moving, but moving more slowly due to numbers and you have to wait until you are called. Don't lie and don't try to justify it because your group are being called, albeit in a different way.

I work in a GP surgery and cannot explain the number of people calling up who think they are more important and more at risk than everyone else in the same group. Just wait your turn and don't waste anymore of their time calling and mithering. There are thousands of people the surgery have to book in. Not everyone can be done on day one and all the unnecessary calls are causing it to take longer.

Out of interest if someone is group 6 due to need but old enough to be in groups 7, 8, 9 will they get called by age as well if latter groups are running faster?

@Nekoness

“ Their severe mental illness, their child's disability, their caring responsibility. ”

OP, how did these people jump the queue? We are all a bit baffled as to how, hence why some of us are insisting you must just not know the legitimate reason why they qualified.

@Nekoness

They have no idea!! There’s only my husband cousin who thinks she knows why,
She is 43 and had asthma during her pregnancy.
Other than that she doesn’t have a clue!

My colleague and sister in law both said they got a text from their GP and booked via a link they text them.
(Both at different surgeries)

@AllAroundTheWrekin

Out of interest if someone is group 6 due to need but old enough to be in groups 7, 8, 9 will they get called by age as well if latter groups are running faster?

@AllAroundTheWrekin

I was just about to ask this myself.

Looks like I may just be called by age then! I’m 34 so will be waiting a while!

My age puts me in group 8,but I'm down as an unpaid carer so I'm getting my 1st vaccination at a local drive through clinic next week.