Empty Vaccinations Centres

[Bilgepumper]

I keep hearing about appointments going spare, no queues and empty centres. The only answer is to open the appointments up to all adults. This would stop vaccines being wasted and staff having nothing to do. The best way forward is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible.

People will always book and not attend, there is no way to have 0% vaccine waste.

I did my f2f training as a Vaccinator on Weds (not sure why as they clearly don't have enough work) .This was in Coventry in the West Midlands at a convention centre.They have 3 streams set up but only 1 running as they don't have enough people to vaccinate they said.

And don't forget they need spare capacity now, because it's not going to be very long at all before they're having to give second jabs to those who've already had their first, as well as first doses to the others.

If you are CEV you can book online you don't need to wait to be contacted.

Unfortunately I sort of slipped through the cracks due to most of my medical care and the diagnoses for the conditions that make me CEV having been in another country (I was born in the UK but moved back to the UK only a few months ago) and basically problems getting access to medical care here and getting my CEV status recognised by the NHS. Despite letters from specialists confirming I'm CEV.

It's not a huge problem because I don't mind shielding for a few more weeks, but it was a headache, and it shows how easily people can fall between the cracks. Part of my work involves engagement with homeless people and there's a real problem getting the vaccine to CV and CEV people who have no fixed address, because they're not always on the NHS radar and sometimes find it hard to even register with a GP.

@PurpleCrocuses

Where on earth are people finding these "appointments"?

I'm CEV and haven't been offered a vaccine yet, don't know anywhere where you can find or try to book for slots online, other than the official NHS website which just says wait to be contacted. Genuinely someone please tell me!

If you are CEV and haven’t been offered ring 119.

I live 12 minute walk from 2 vaccine centres (one is NHS and one is a national hub, opposite direction). Sometimes the NHS one is closed (they went to a care home), but always brisk business when open. One of them usually has long Qs out front. And yet we still hear about local people being asked to drive 45 minutes to get to a jab centre. Doesn't sound like problems of 'emptiness' in our local centres.

MN gives me impression that most people are extremely anxious about getting their own jab asap.

Teenage DD at a city centre Uni got her jab just because it was a left over dose end of day & she could get to the centre with 10 minutes notice; better that than it went to waste.

Lots of people who have been careful up to now so not want to go and queue up at a busy mass vaccination centre. Like my PIL they preferred to wait a week and have the jab at their local GP practice rather than in their words 'face a hall full of people'.

Booking for my 63 year old brother, online appointments are available, but not nearby, so he is waiting to get something near. We are in Surrey, appointments offered are in Twickenham and Epsom which are the big hubs.

Im cv, in my 50's and have one on wednesday.

Most of the GP led services are not at surgeries. The surgeries are operating their normal services.
Most of the GP led services are in community centres or civic buildings that are big enough and accessible and have parking etc. All types are being used.

The system runs faster and smoother if those who are eligible to book online using the centralised system, or ringing via 119 do it and do it as soon as they are eligible. Most people will have to travel some distance as they will mostly go to the mass hubs. But most people say they are just keen to get jabbed sooner rather than lasted so should be prepared to travel a bit and as we get down the age groups, most people are capable of doing this.

Some of the mass centres are not so busy because people don’t get in and book, or despite saying they are keen to be done as quickly as possible, actually aren’t. They don’t want to travel to the mass centre but want to wait for their more local hubs. Those hubs will only pick them up later as it appears they haven’t booked at the mass centres via the national booking website or 119. But during that time, spaces at the mass centres remain vacant.

Currently the local GP led hubs are mostly doing Group 6 who are booked in directly via GPs and local booking systems which use different computer programmes. Group 6 can’t just go on the national site and book but have to wait for a text or call as they work through the massive group of over 7 million. The more people from Groups 5 or 7 (depending on area, they are working on different ones it seems although NHS ENgland now invites all over 60 to book online so all of Group7, despite what the front page on the booking site says about over 64s) who don’t get on and book and go to wherever they are offered, the longer it takes to get through Group 6 and overall the longer it takes to vaccinate the population.

Clearly some people cannot travel, however most of them were in older age groups or a vulnerable category (group 4 or 6) but I think a lot of the delays and empty centres which aren’t explained by limited supply, some down to people not booking because they don’t know their age group can, or choosing to not take appointments available because they dont want to travel. We are doing really well and doing 2.5millionnler week at the moment, but some of the frustrations could be alleviated if people knew when they could book and actually did it as soon as they can and take the appointments offered, rather than not taking them and hoping for something more convenient.

Mindymomo, is it that your brother is unable to travel to the big centres? One of the reasons why the mass centres are quiet and not doing as many people as possible is because people do t take the appointment tents that are available. Is it a really long journey for him or he doesn’t have transport or no-one who can take him?

Just interested to know what it is that people of an age who can usually travel, choose not to prioritise getting an appointment as soon as possible and keep the whole system moving.

I’ve been looking at the appointments at the three centres around me and there’s multiple appointments every day, which means the vaccines are sat there.
I agree, open it up.

DH entitled to vaccine due to work. He didn't take it up as he felt the elderly/vulnerable should be proritised. My friend went down to our local pharmacy and was told they regularly had lots of free appointments. I nagged DH and he was seen within three hours.

Silver glitter, all the vaccination sites have social distancing and rigorous cleanliness procedures.

It could quite likely be that a local hub will feel busier and people will be closer to each other, than a mass centre which I actually quieter. In most places, there isn’t much or any queuing.

In most cases, it’s best to get the vaccine quicker (not just for the individual but for society too and for rattling through more people faster). The sooner each person takes their vaccine and goes to the place offered, the sooner other people lower down the priority order can also get theirs. So it’s not just about them but oboist others too.

I shall be going locally for mine even if it means waiting a few more weeks, I'm not that anxious to get it that I would travel miles.

@DinosaurDiana

I’ve been looking at the appointments at the three centres around me and there’s multiple appointments every day, which means the vaccines are sat there. I agree, open it up.

Hiya Di, can you tell me where to look to see the centres bookings online please? I am not in any group soon to be done just curious. Thank you.

I went online earlier in the week and had a choice of three relatively local hubs. My local practice is also calling in people in my 60+ age-group, but that is taking time as there are a lot of us, and they're also getting through all the Group 6 people. I think more should be done to encourage people to book online especially as they go down the age-groups - it'll speed things up which benefits everyone.

So interesting to hear about people who aren’t planning to travel to the mass centres, especially as we move down the age groups.

This is partly why they are not running at capacity. They need to keep appointments roughly in priority order because of the evidence of risk of hospitalisation or dying. They cannot open them up to just anyone, but because people don’t want to travel, the system cannot run at capacity and people further down the priority groups get there’s a bit later. I guess the government knew this would happen to some degree, but I wonder if it’s happening much more than expected.

I hear some journey would be quite long, but most wouldn’t be. The locations have been chosen to be accessible but it seems some people just aren’t comfortable to drive 20 miles, or to look into public transport or using volunteer services that are available to help people get there.

As they move onto the 2nd doses, those getting their first will probably need to be more strongly encouraged to go the mass centres, because they will need to be delivering more jabs per day to both 1st and 2nd people and if everyone wants it locally, the speed will significantly be slowed.

@PurpleCrocuses

If you are CEV you can book online you don't need to wait to be contacted.

Unfortunately I sort of slipped through the cracks due to most of my medical care and the diagnoses for the conditions that make me CEV having been in another country (I was born in the UK but moved back to the UK only a few months ago) and basically problems getting access to medical care here and getting my CEV status recognised by the NHS. Despite letters from specialists confirming I'm CEV.

It's not a huge problem because I don't mind shielding for a few more weeks, but it was a headache, and it shows how easily people can fall between the cracks. Part of my work involves engagement with homeless people and there's a real problem getting the vaccine to CV and CEV people who have no fixed address, because they're not always on the NHS radar and sometimes find it hard to even register with a GP.

So your GPs don’t recognise you as CEV? What happened when you called the surgery to ask them to add the CEV flag to your record?

If you are over 60, or extremely clinically vulnerable and live in England you can book here
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

Trying to persuade DH (60) to do this but he won't "jump the queue" as the site quite clearly tells people not to use it unless they are 64+. Where is it published that people aged 60+ can book? (I've told him to try it anyway but he just won't...)

Crikey, it's not empty where I am. It took a week to even find an appointment slot.

I suspect as they move down the age groups the younger ones will be happy to drive to the central hubs. No one bats an eyelid at a 40+ min commute whereas the elderly I know find driving into town which is only a few miles a headache.

@MerylStropp

If you are over 60, or extremely clinically vulnerable and live in England you can book here www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

Trying to persuade DH (60) to do this but he won't "jump the queue" as the site quite clearly tells people not to use it unless they are 64+. Where is it published that people aged 60+ can book? (I've told him to try it anyway but he just won't...)

Is it actually working for those 60+ ?

merylStropp

Our local hospital trust tweeted the info that our county was vaccinating over 60s, but I see on the BBC website letters are going out starting Monday to 60 to 64 year olds. Its a shame the misleading front page isn't updated, or that there isn't a better system to get the word out.

Flibberty - it’s close to me so I won’t say.