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Original poster

Can this be true? Tons of people lying to get vaccine.

460 replies

NaturalBlondeYeahRight · 21/03/2021 14:59

My mum has just told me that my dodgy cousin (about 30) has just had his vaccine with all of his builder mates by lying and saying they are ‘unpaid carers’ on the nhs website. She said no one bothered to check any of them.
Firstly, how bloody outrageous of them pulling the wool over the vaccine centres eyes and secondly, why isn’t their any check, however minor?
I know we all need to get done eventually but this has really pissed me off.

OP posts:
canigooutyet · 21/03/2021 15:58

@Franklydear

Proof of unpaid carer will be receiving DLA or pip, and a card of the various carers association, of course they ask for proof
Not everyone who needs a carer gets any benefits.

The only carer associations that I can find that give cards are for paid carers.

Cookerhood · 21/03/2021 15:59

One of the reasons they ask you is that it's a tick box on the Pinnacle system where they record your vaccination. They can't complete the box without asking you.
Our local centre called the village primary school on Thursday & offered all the staff vaccinations as they had enough. There is a big batch going out of date at the end of March so best to use it rather than throw it away.

2020isnotbehaving · 21/03/2021 16:00

According to NHS

A carer is anyone, including children and adults who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support . The care they give is unpaid.

Nice as it is to drop shopping around for your mum if you are doing a big shop anyway it does not make you a carer according to guidelines. Unless they would be incapable of getting food ordered and sorted without you. They havnt exactly been clear on what they consider a carer to be.

2020isnotbehaving · 21/03/2021 16:01

If they cannot cope without it then of course makes perfect sense to NhS and social care system thank you have you jabbed ASAP

Carycy · 21/03/2021 16:01

It probably isn’t worth the time and money to put more secure checks in for the small minority that are dishonest.
At the end of the day every jab in an arm is a step closer to herd immunity of the population. So while it seems a bit unfair on individuals we just have to look at the big picture.

Franklydear · 21/03/2021 16:02

@canigooutyet i have two cards of associations as unpaid carer, plus registered with another, in my case is a child so proof of being under consultant will be valid too, I hope everyone who needs one gets it

2020isnotbehaving · 21/03/2021 16:02

*To not thank you stupid phone.

C8H10N4O2 · 21/03/2021 16:03

My local lea ‘bagsied’ all the spare doses last weekend and booked at the teachers in my town in - that was last week and yet my mates who are police etc actually got turned away

That says more about the leadership in local schools and local policing. The logistics of prioritising public facing workers mean it would slow down roll up but there was nothing to stop local arrangements to prioritise these jobs in the standby queues.

Around here head teachers worked to do this for teachers and school staff. The council did similar for many public service jobs. The police leadership and private bus companies could presumably have done the same but chose not to.

Gwenhwyfar · 21/03/2021 16:03

"Who cares if someone has the jab a bit earlier if they want it."

Because it's taking it away from people who need it.

LynetteScavo · 21/03/2021 16:03

A family member of mine had the vaccine a few weeks ago. She was bemused as to why she had been invited but it turned out she was a carer because her toddler had once had an overnight stay in hospital.

I don't really care who gets the vaccine before me atm, I'm guessing people
who lie are also not socially distancing.

millikit · 21/03/2021 16:03

I'm a carer for my DS and I get Carer's Allowance so I was sent an NHS invite to book. DSis is a carer for her DH but earns too much to get CA but she was able to book on the NHS website just by ticking a box, so I can see how anyone can get the vaccine if they go through the website. There's no other way to verify carer status otherwise, because lots of people don't have contact with any other professionals so there's no one who can confirm it.

You can register yourself with your GP or carers centre but that's just another way to self-identify as well, because it's not as if they will be making home visits to check what kind of caring you do at home! In fact I know a few people who claim Carer's Allowance to get extra money/avoid job searching requirements just because they know someone who gets disability benefits and there's no checks on what caring you actually do (they say you need to care for 35 hours but just accept your word for it).

Anyway in our area we have one of the lowest vaccine uptakes in the country, so I doubt anyone is taking the chance of getting the vaccine from anyone else, lots of people are refusing it unfortunately.

Original poster
NaturalBlondeYeahRight · 21/03/2021 16:03

@Staffy1 are you using this link? The option is definitely on there

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

OP posts:
C8H10N4O2 · 21/03/2021 16:03

roll up

"roll out" not "roll up"!

thecatandthevicar · 21/03/2021 16:04

@Gwenhwyfar

"Who cares if someone has the jab a bit earlier if they want it."

Because it's taking it away from people who need it.

If you believe in the jab, everyone needs it anyway.

It's free, so might as well get it if you have any plans for the summer.

CyberdyneSystems · 21/03/2021 16:04

A guy at work had his vaccine Wednesday afternoon. He's mid fifties. He was asked afterwards if anybody in his household has not had the vaccine

He said his eighteen year old son hadn't. He was told send him down today. The son went down a few hours later and didn't bother as the queue was so big. This was Leicester

maddiemookins16mum · 21/03/2021 16:05

Yep, I know someone who did this - ‘I’m an unofficial carer for my Nan’. However, ‘Nan’ died 4 years ago.
It’s the new ‘the dog ate my homework’.

Decorhate · 21/03/2021 16:05

Yes it’s good that the population as a whole is getting vaccinated but I don’t agree with queue jumpers if people more at risk have to wait. In my area, school staff do not get priority, we have to wait for our age group to be called. Even the school nurse and those doing the lateral flow tests. However, the county council seems to have got a lot of its own staff vaccinated who are currently working from home (just because in normal times they would do home visits).

Lots of unfairness out there.

AnnaBananaFoFana · 21/03/2021 16:05

I thought that this would happen! I am an unpaid carer and had my vaccine in February. When I walked in my name wasn’t on the list because I only booked my appointment that afternoon. They just asked for my name and postcode and wrote it down on a piece of paper. I wasn’t asked for ID, didn’t have to show my booking confirmation, nothing! I could have been anyone. I could have given a fake name and postcode and they wouldn’t have known.

Original poster
NaturalBlondeYeahRight · 21/03/2021 16:06

As a slight aside, does anyone here know how to get on these ‘end of day’ waiting lists? There was a GP on bbc news Friday talking about them but my surgery says don’t contact them and I can’t find anything on google that links to the big hubs near me. I’d love to point my Head in the right direction for staff if he could.

OP posts:
Sansaplans · 21/03/2021 16:07

Anyone can book if they tick one of the boxes- health and social care and the carer one. When I went they did check my ID card, but I guess it depends on whether they check everyone, the website doesn't have the capability though it seems to filter out on those boxes and confirm whether someone is being honest. I guess that unfortunately it relies on people being honest, and the vaccine hubs having the means to check everyone is being genuine.

SleepingStandingUp · 21/03/2021 16:08

@Sleepyblueocean

"secondly, why isn’t their any check, however minor?"

What would that check be?

Proof of carers allowance, or a copy of the DLA / PIP letter for the person you're caring for?
RaraRachael · 21/03/2021 16:09

It makes me think that the system we have is not so bad. You have to wait until you're sent a letter

SleepingStandingUp · 21/03/2021 16:10

Have to say no one checked DH when we got ours as carers

Crinkle77 · 21/03/2021 16:11

One of my friends has done this. Said she's an unpaid carer for her grandparents. She's not she does a bit of shopping and pops in on them but she's not a carer.

SinkGirl · 21/03/2021 16:11

So basically I should just lie, click the carer for CEV box even though my boys aren’t CEV and take their DLA letters with me?

The number of definitions of eligible carers has caused so much confusion. Total shambles.