Vulnerable 12-15’s. What’s happening?

[Getawaywithit]

At my wit’s end. 12 year old is to get two injections. School nurse says he can’t be vaccinated via the school programme as it is once only. GP says they are no longer doing vaccines. Walk-ins won’t take under 16s. Cannot find any other info online about how vulnerable 12-15s are being managed. His school will be vaccinating next week meaning my vulnerable child will be vaccinated after the non-vulnerable. It’s utterly ridiculous.

I am about to write to my MP but was wondering about other people’s experiences.

We had a text from our GP offering the jab to DD (14) on the day they announced they were doing vulnerable 12-15s. When we went to the vaccination centre they said she'd only likely get the one jab so we weren't expecting to be recalled for the second one.

She'd be due second jab in a few weeks so I guess it's a case of wait and see? I hadn't heard anything firm about it from the government but no surprise there

It’s in the guidelines on the gov website that two are to be offered for my son’s condition so I expect him to be able to have two. It is very frustrating because the key player - the GP - has just washed their hands of it and can’t/won’t signpost forwards. School nurse refuses to do even the one so not sure what we’re supposed to do?

That sounds hugely frustrating. We had similar in that I felt I was going round jn circles trying to get a vaccine for my CEV 12 year old (I know they’ve scrapped the cev status now but in my mindset, it’s not changed my outlook!)

Then out of the blue I had a call from the gp surgery offering her one!
When we went, the gp who administered it said she’d be eligible for 2 vaccines but couldn’t tell me when we’d receive the second! So clear as mud once again.

Tbh I don’t think they know either!

Get the first one via school. Tell your GP, ask for proof of jab, that then gives you a bit of breathing space to chase up a second. Perhaps.

One jab is considerably more protection than no jab.

I agree with @frozendaisy. Get the first one via school. It is the same vaccine given so there is no reason not to. The school nurse will not be able to give the second dose but that’s a future problem you have time to address (and so less important than the first dose). There is absolutely no reason school can’t give the first dose, I can’t imagine they would even know about your child’s eligibility for 2 doses. My 12 year old had their 1st dose at the beginning of Sep and I’ve no idea if / when he’ll get a second dose. Try not to let your desire to get 2 doses cloud your access to getting one.

I can’t imagine they would even know about your child’s eligibility for 2 doses

Care plan?

Try not to let your desire to get 2 doses cloud your access to getting one

The school has said they can’t do one dose because of his entitlement to two. That’s my issue. He’s down on the system as needing to get the vaccine elsewhere because of his condition. It is very frustrating. And with all due respect, if the scientist people have said they need 2 doses, somebody needs to be taking responsibility for that,

We are still waiting with our CV 14 year old. He is on the GP list to be done by a neighbouring GP (own GP not doing them) who is fussing about doing it because he might be difficult to vaccinate ( like many others with a severe learning disability). This GP seems to be stalling hoping he will be done at his special school but no word on the vaccine from them yet. I would take the first vaccine if we could but who knows when that will happen. My next move is to complain to the CCG.

Fair enough re care plan….. you are lucky that your school must be very thorough. My school office would certainly not have the nouse to lift the conditions off my sons care plan and then search through the nhs guidelines to see if he is due two doses. They are also not involved at all in the vaccinations apart from providing the building space and distributing the local trusts consent forms.
His school is giving out vaccinations next week. I had to fill exactly the same form as anyone else and then at the end I just ticked no, I don’t give consent (because he’s already had it). Can you get access to the same consent form as his peers and just request it on there? It’s very frustrating how GPs are all offering things differently, and it has left you in this predicament, so I’m just thinking of ways you can bypass them and get it through school system.

I went through the Practice Manager at our GP surgery and the CCG (you should be able to find an email for them).

I wrote basically this to the CCG

"Dear sir or madam

Re [child's name and date of birth]

I am contacting you as my [child has this medical condition making them eligible to have a vaccine as they are vulnerable]

...

My [child] has said they would like to have a vaccine, if possible, preferably soon ...

It is proving really difficult to get this organised.

Our GP, ... say that it sounds as though he would be eligible but [cannot] organise this and likewise the tertiary team ... don't have a clear idea of arrangements ...

[other CCGs have organised clinics] can you let me know if you are doing something similar.

I have also been in correspondence with [our MP], and was hoping that the JCVI guidance had now sorted this out and that I wouldn't need to write again.

Yours faithfully,

me

What a nightmare for you, OP. I don't know if this helps, but we took a letter from my child's hospital team about being eligible for the vaccine early (this was before they'd announced the general roll out to that age group) to a walk- in centre and it was fine. They checked with the on-call GP and she administered it herself. I realise it may be different in different parts of the country, though.

Some advice here that might be helpful:
contact.org.uk/about-contact/news-and-views/contact-your-gp-if-you-need-vaccine-for-your-eligible-child/

Hi OP

Google the email address for your local Primary Care Network/Trust.

If your GP isn't organising it, that's your next port of call.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone. Have sent an email to the GP for the attention of the practise manager and one to the CCG. Let’s see….