Vaccination centres too far away.

[Thingsthatgo]

I’m really sorry, because I am sure that this has been asked a billion times on here before. I’m 44, and I got my invitation to book my jab through the national vaccination service by text. All of the places are miles away in different cities and I do not drive.
Everyone is saying to wait, and that my GP will contact me, and I’ll get a closer appointment, but when I mentioned it to my GP they said that they would not be contacting me.
Also, not sure it’s relevant, but the booking service seems to think that I’ve missed an appointment or something. It keeps saying that I shall have to rebook rather than just book.
Anyone have any wise words for me?

Could you get a taxi or use public transport to get to your nearest centre? Where are people who live locally to you going for theirs? If there is no closer centre, I think you'll just have to pay to get to there.

I think the Janus is on you to get to a centre. Taxi, public transport, lift with a mate?

Once you try to book once the website kicks you out like that just re enter your details.

Are there actually mass vaccination sites in your town? If so just keep checking back. A colleague had success by checking very early in the morning.

If I didn't drive then I'd either get public transport, a taxi, cycle or ask a family member/ friend for a lift.

the booking service seems to think that I’ve missed an appointment or something. It keeps saying that I shall have to rebook rather than just book.

Pretty sure it says that to everyone, don’t worry.

I’m your age. I got a letter in the post telling me I could book via the national website service, which only gave me vaccinations hubs miles & miles away. You also needed to book 2 appointments, first & second dose.

Then I got a text telling me to click to book at my local GP practice hub. This was in my town, and you just book the first appointment and wait to be called for the second.

So there are 2 services operating. I’m not sure it can be true your GP ‘won’t be contacting you’ - I suspect what they meant was the practice wouldn’t be offering it but they must have a system where their patients are called.

I’d wait a bit longer and see if I was you, but then I’m not high risk via work or whatever and not particularly anxious either.

The missed appointment thing is just a bug when you go into the system multiple times, just ignore it and click 'continue to booking'. As for travelling, it's difficult when you don't drive - I don't either, my husband took me. But if he hadn't been able to I'd have simply sucked it up and gone by public transport. I would do anything to get my jab.

That happened to me too. I knew that there were centres much closer to me so I just kept checking until I was able to book at the centre I wanted. The appointments sometimes disappear very quickly but then all of a sudden a whole week opened up at the centre I wanted and I was able to book both dates. It was less than a week until my first one.
Hope you manage to get booked soon!

My DH and all of my friends have had their vaccinations locally, via another system. My DH got a text from his GP and he got an appointment within walking distance of our house (he is two years younger than me with no health issues at all). If I wait, am I likely to get the same text do you think? I don’t really want to take a day off work, and get four taxis and two trains. (I will if necessary, but I’d rather just wait and get one locally if possible)

Are you with a different GP practice to your DH?

I’d wait, as I said.

And in fact my DH is older than me but I got my GP-based text before he did.

How far is miles? We live pretty rurally but there are a few places to get vaccinated within 10 miles.

Can you call the centre and ask what is the best way to get there on public transport?

This is happening to me too. There's a vaccination centre within walking distance of my house but the nearest one I am offered is 11 miles away. I'm just going to keep checking until there's a space at my local centre.

The nearest one I’ve seen so far is 37 miles away, but not near the train station, and I’ve only seen that one once so far. I’m just going to wait. Thanks for the help.

Brighton by any chance ?

@mimipuss

Brighton by any chance ?

what makes you say that?

I understand from my GP colleagues that not all of those who were delivering on phase 1 (groups 1 to 9?) signed up for phase two.

There are two reasons for that. Firstly, they were having to do a lot of additional work to deliver the vaccine, on top of a pretty busy GP workload, including lots of evenings and weekends. Back in January, there was a pretty big altruistic push to do that. Now the vaccine hubs are up and running, that altruistic drive is much less strong.

Secondly, they get paid per dose given. They get money clawed back per dose wasted. At the start everyone was keeping their appointments. Now the no show rate is much higher (partly because people have much more options so are rebooking short notice, partly I suspect because the no show rate for all medical care is higher in younger people) so participating risks being a loss-making exercise.

All that means that just because older people were able to access vaccines through your GP doesn't mean that you will.

The only person who can answer this is yoru GP practice, though. It would be worth contacting them, explaining the issues you're having, and asking if there are more local options.

Alternatively, I'm assuming you are rural. I know my village has been trying to sort lifts for people - it may be yours has something similar?

We live there and are having the same issue

I've decided to suck it up and lose a day of holiday (possibly) since the timing for a second dose was right in the middle of my holiday - picked a center near the holiday let.

If it is Brighton there is a number you can call to book a vaccine at the race course

@mimipuss

We live there and are having the same issue

Yes, I’m not Brighton, but not too far away. I’ve been offered Crawley (which I would have to go to brighton first to get there) or London. I got Portsmouth once. I would have to take a day off work to get there, and my husband would have to take a day off work to mind the kids. I’m just going to wait. I wouldn’t mind Brighton, I could probably manage that and do the school run, so at least it would only be me taking a day off.

It was reported yesterday that vaccine take up is lower amongst disabled people. It's pretty obvious why. People with mobility issues might not necessarily be in a clinically vulnerable group but they definitely do need to have easy access to vaccine centres. I understand why GPs aren't doing the second phase but the government should be sorting out access for disabled people. Whether with more pharmacies offering the jab or ensuring there's help to travel to appointment (it's currently very area dependent). I hope every housebound patient at least has been done? I wouldn't be too surprised if they haven't.

Hopefully something will come up soon

Same happened for me, I just kept going back until there were appts in my home town. If you wait your gp should invite you to one locally.

I've just checked the vaccine booking site and the one in my town is now available. Yay! I'm booked in for Monday.