16yo vaccine question

[AlexaShutUp]

DD is 16 and has been invited to go to a walk in vaccine clinic. She really wants the vaccine, but on the nhs grab a jab site, there is nowhere local that is offering the vaccine to 16 and 17 year olds, so we'd be looking at quite a long drive to get to the nearest centre.

I don't mind driving her there if necessary, but what I don't understand is that out local hospital is running a walk in clinic over the weekend but it is only open to 18+. It states on the website that the hospital is offering pfizer in these slots, which I believe is what dd will get, so I don't understand why she can't just drop in and get her jab over the weekend like any adult could? The hospital did offer a 2 hour slot for 16 and 17 year olds today, but dd was at work and couldn't attend.

Can anyone explain why under 18s have to go in specific slots only? Is there a chance that they'll give it to her if we just turn up?

Bump

Hospitals were the designated vaccine centres for vulnerable 16-18 last February so maybe it’s when they have a children’s dr available - but that seems daft for a hospital! If you can get hold of them by telephone, ask if you can wait at the end of a shift for any ‘left-overs’ for your 16 year old if it’s a supply issue.

I agree it’s annoying and I don’t really understand it. We’re in London so we do have one available site, but that’s one out of twenty local sites. Almost all the walk-ins state Over 18s.

I think it's to do with specific requirements for centres vaccinating under 18's.
We've all had to do specific safeguarding training and paediatric basic life support sessions this week before starting this age group next week. We also need specific equipment on site.

Thank you. Don't think it's a supply issue as they were doing (non CEV) 16yos in this area today and most people here were offered the jabs well ahead of the national schedule. So I wonder if it is something like needing a children's doctor available for some reason.

I'll try to find a number to call the hospital tomorrow and see if I can ask. It's just annoying to have to drive 20 miles when they are offering the pfizer jab just down the road...

@choirmumoftwo

I think it's to do with specific requirements for centres vaccinating under 18's. We've all had to do specific safeguarding training and paediatric basic life support sessions this week before starting this age group next week. We also need specific equipment on site.

Thank you, I wondered if it might be something like safeguarding. I didn't know that specific equipment was needed. Guess we might have to get in the car and drive then.

I'm grateful for the fact that dd is getting the jab, but it doesn't seem like a good way of encouraging people to get it. One of dd's friends wants it but her parents don't agree. The NHS letter says that parental consent isn't required, but none of the locations offered would be easy for a 16yo to access without a parent to drive them. The roll out has been so efficient so far, I'm just a bit disappointed by how difficult it is to get dd jabbed. She is really eager to get it done!

The needle and syringe is exactly the same as for over 18's but we need slightly different sized emergency equipment - bag/mask combinations etc.
It's highly unlikely we'll ever need to use them but they need to be available.

@choirmumoftwo

The needle and syringe is exactly the same as for over 18's but we need slightly different sized emergency equipment - bag/mask combinations etc. It's highly unlikely we'll ever need to use them but they need to be available.

Thanks for explaining @choirmumoftwo.

Can she book through the national booking website? Where are you? Two of our local drop in sites are offering jabs to 16/17 year olds.

She isn't old enough to book on the national site, unfortunately. You need to be 17 and 9 months.

The NHS letter told her to go to a walk in, but there is nothing near us. The local hospital did offer a two hour slot for her age group today but she had already committed to a shift at work. They aren't advertising any further slots, the nearest ones are 20 miles away!

@AlexaShutUp you can book online if you’re over 16 now. It changed yesterday x

We were the same but took a chance and went to our local mass vaccination centre. They had a sign saying they were offering 16 year olds walk ins so dd got hers. She went to a dedicated section for that age group. It wasn't clear at all on the the booking site.

Why can't her friend go with you?

@Pearl97, on the national booking site? It still says 18+ or within 3 months of your 18th birthday. Are you saying we can just ignore that and book anyway?

@AlmostSummer21

Why can't her friend go with you?

Yes, we could take her if she's free when we go. I was just thinking about other kids in the same position.

We went to a big vaccination centre a long way from home. They are fitting the (arguably mostly lower priority) 16-17 year old walk ins, around the online booked priority people (18+ 1st and 2nd jab).

All vaccine sites in my local and neighbouring CCG are offering walk ins to 16+. There are different regulations for 12-15 but vaccine sites should have been able to vaccinate CEV 16/17yo for months and months now, they're no different to non CEV 16/17yo olds.

In order to vaccinate under 18s you need to have 2 people who have an enhanced DBS check, a level 2 safeguarding children certificate and paediatric basic life support certificate. A lot of those in vaccination centres are adult nurses and don't have these skills.

Essentially the protocol needed to vaccinate healthy 16-17 year olds isn’t yet in place. These are needed because of the way COVID vaccines are authorised. The sites also need to have paediatric life support. This is all being addressed following the flash announcement to start this group. But, it is easier for some types of service to comply faster than others. Pharmacies and Gp hubs should start appearing soon. And GPs will be calling patients to book via their own systems.

The NBS isn’t able to book 16-17 because of they are only being offered one dose for the time being. That’s why they are reliant on walk-in and GP call systems.

Look for information on Reddit’s Getjabbed. It’s usually got more live information compared to grad a jab.

Look on the local Facebook or CGC site to swe where are doing drop ins. Then you don’t need to wait for invite.

So, looked everywhere on local websites, FB, local newspaper etc to try and find a drop in that would accept 16yos. The nearest we could locate was 12.5 miles away. Tried booking on the national website as dd had heard from some of her friends that they had received texts inviting them to book appointments, but it didn't work.

At DH's suggestion, we went to the vaccine centre at the local hospital this morning - not expecting to get the jab but hoping they might be able to tell us when the next opportunity for 16yos would be. Turns out that they were doing pre-booked appointments for under-18s, booked through local GP surgeries rather than the national booking system, and they were accepting walk-ins in between when they had capacity. So dd got the jab and so did two of her friends later this afternoon when she told them.

Glad your dd got the jab.

Tbh the grab a jab site is a bit shite and doesn't seem to have been updated since over 16s have been issued letters. Some of them that say over 18s only are infact doing over 16s.

Excellent news - as I said upthread, your best bet was the local hospital - though ours is further than 12.5 miles anyway