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.

Young people in Manchester are getting invited for vaccinations at the etihad because they aren't filling the appointments (I know someone in their twenties with no health issues who got a text to book. What I don't understand is why they aren't publicising it? I'm sure plenty of people would log in and book if they knew about it.

I just looked and nothing local so will wait.

Our local NHS trust invited people to walk in appointments at the ExCel. They were inundated on the first day, which is when I went. People were queuing for 6 hours to get the vaccine so people definitely want to be vaccinated! Although the board I spotted in the vaccination hall said the day previous to that they had only vaccinated 52 people. They must have done that within minutes of opening last Tuesday.

In contrast, my Mum happened to walk past a vaccination centre in London on Saturday and just asked if she could have her vaccine. She's over 60 and they invited her in as they had spare and were just closing up.

I don't understand what's going on in the last couple of weeks. It seems so chaotic now. There's all this talk of empty vaccination centres and some people claiming it's because we had a shortage in supply a vaccine but I don't believe that's true.

Before or through January it was really organised - people had their appointments, was all working really nicely we were rushing through all the different groups.

Since the snow is absolutely gone to pot and now hardly anyone is being vaccinated the numbers are down people wandering around people young getting it when they shouldn't be, people complaining that I'm old and entitled and haven't been offered an appointment .....it all seems absolutely shambolic.

all of a sudden I'm struggling to understand why. it makes me really really cross. we really should be pushing forward and doing as many people as possible, more so now than ever before. I simply don't understand it.

@Oblomov21 I think once the government met their target of 'offering' the top 4 groups a vaccine everything has calmed down.

I went to a GP-run hub which is vaccinating on behalf of 3 local PCN’s, so somewhere between 15 and 20 GP practices. It’s like a conveyor belt - there is a drive-through option under a big tent and they are also vaccinating inside a building. The steward tells you which one to go to - I think they prioritise less mobile people for the drive through, but otherwise they just try to keep the queues balanced. I was sent to the drive through, there was only one car ahead of me. Then you park up and wait your 15 minutes.

@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!

Cev don't have to wait to be called by the GP or for a letter. You can just use the national site, as can anyone over the age of 60.

Unfortunately those who are CV (group 6O do have to wait for their surgery to call them.

Just to point out to those saying no-one is being vaccinated, about 2.5 million people were vaccinated last week and there were a couple of days where it reached 500,000 for those days.

These threads still show lots of age group people still think they need to wait for a letter to book. You don’t need to. Get on the online booking site and input your details. If you’re over 60 and not group 6 with clinical issues, you will be able to book. Take one of the appointments that is offered.

The whole population of those over 60 ought to be getting on the site and booking in the next day or 2. There is no need to wait and actually, they have been able to book for a couple of days.

Spread the word to the over 60s you know, especially if they are anxious and want a letter first. They don’t need one.

It’s going really well if 2.5 million are done per week (and set to rise) but people need to get on and book and it can be even higher.

@Rillington

Our local councillor and Rugby Borough Council were tweeting that Stoneleigh is fully booked up & that the rumours on social media are false. Do you mind if I ask where are you getting your info from?

@PurplePi I have 9 family members who have been recently at different days/times. They have all said there were hardly any people there. A neighbour's daughter is vaccinating there and she said the same.

That's really interesting. Thanks. Sounds like it's a case of M'thinks the Council doth protest too much, then!

I'm waiting to be able to book there as a group 9 - but can't book via the website yet.

It was a whistleblower here that started the trust to open walk in sessions for eligible people. There seems to be very communication with the GPs and the hubs. We have vaccinated taxi drivers, council divers and the local fire crew offering free transport to hubs but no one being offered the hub. The walk ins, carers and over 60s has got the hubs busy again but you can still get next day appointments.

Should say little communication

Different parts of the country are quite different.
In the south west a high number of people vaccinated and lots of slots available.

Is this your anecdotal belief or is there actual evidence as I wondering how we managed to vaccinate 20m people with empty centres. I had mine on Friday - it was full. Very efficient, friendly - brilliant job done by all.

64, had ours today after booking last week. Centre about 5 miles from home. Brilliant set up utilizing a pharmacy and temporary marquee at a health centre with loads of parking. Very quick, no waiting at all and a constant stream of people. To make it even quicker couples were done together so the vaccinator only had to give the spiel once rather than twice. In and out in minutes. Well done Wiltshire.
Just keeping my fingers crossed my side effects are minimal.

I think they are gearing up to deliver far far more as they will be doing both first and 2nd doses in the coming weeks.

Yes, often the mass centres don’t have as many people as they could jab, because people aren’t getting into the website and booking as soon as they can, or waiting for a letter and then sometimes not taking the slots offered.

However, I think it’s also the case that they offer more slots than needed to give people some choice and have some flexibility built into the system. Plus, these mass centres can operate and deliver more in this phase where 1st and 2nd jabs will be delivered. 2.5 million per week looked impressive, but we will see far more over the next months because they are building much bigger capacity.

The best thing individuals can do is get vaccinated as soon as possible by checking the national booking site and booking as soon as it says they are eligible at one one of the slots identified for them.

I think the over capacity is from trying to offer too many options - and a combination of administration trying to keep up, and balance out the geographical spread so that some areas don;t get too far ahead.

Now that they are getting to lower age groups, more people should be able to travel compared to 80/90+, but close where I live there was an article on the news about pop up centres in tents, while the centre where I was vaccinated is operating at 5 to 10% of capacity.

Everyday, I know what you mean, but I think it also is part of gearing up for a further expansion once they need to offer both 2nd and 1st jabs. What we see now is actually part of the plans for the next stages preparing too.

The behaviouralists will have told government exactly how people will respond to all this....that some people won’t take the mass centre vaccination and insist in waiting for local, that some will get a letter and not respond and book for 3 weeks or unless the6 are phoned three times, that certain age groups will be less keen to take it up, down the differences between male and female responses and amongst different social groups etc. They have plans for catching all of them eventually and are balancing the whizzing through those who want it with the priority thing. As time goes in and the priority thing becomes less important they will really be able to whizz through age groups even faster.

@FlyingBurrito

Well they need to sort their shit out because the CV are getting left behind in some areas, my DH being one of them. If it’s true the over 60s can book online from Monday that would have been quicker!

Haven't there been threads for about a week saying that the NHS system was accepting 60+, you don't need to wait @PinkTonic you can do it now

If you’re on the GP list the other system won’t actually accept you. We tried to book him in but he was told no. It’s been quite frustrating but he’s finally been called. The same day as my friend’s daughter posted on FB that’s she’s been called. Just 40, no health conditions, not a carer or health/front line worker. I have no idea. My DH, 61 with 5 separate significant risk factors.

Vaccine site I work in is fully booked and no surplus stock. Fake news strikes again.

[quote PurplePi]@Rillington

Our local councillor and Rugby Borough Council were tweeting that Stoneleigh is fully booked up & that the rumours on social media are false. Do you mind if I ask where are you getting your info from?[/quote]
I'm happy to go on record also and say Stoneleigh isn't at max capacity. As I said earlier,they have 1/3 streams open and when a person I was with asked if this was because of staff shortages,they said defo not,it's because they don't have the people to vaccinate.

When I booked mine there was a huge number of slots available over the course of the next few days- I was quite shocked, having anticipated struggling to find a spare slot. However when I actually arrived for mine (the following day), to my surprise the centre was pretty full - was managed well with distancing etc but there were LOTS of people there getting jabbed and they certainly didn’t seem to be running out of people to do. So I imagine a lot of places fill up at the last minute