Covid boosters no longer being done at GP?

[Ryannah]

I took my Dad for his booster at the local GP about three weeks ago. It’s my Mum’s turn now but the GP says they can no longer assist with getting her vaccinated. Apparently all Covid clinics have been removed from the local practice, a decision made at the top level by the CCG. So I either have to find out myself where there’s a walk-in centre and get her there, or take her to a vaccination hub (nearest is 10 miles away).

AIBU to think this isn’t exactly going to help with an already slow roll-out? Especially when the people being vaccinated are mostly elderly and vulnerable people who may not have access to cars and internet.

I don’t know anyone who had even first and second jabs done at a GP, even my elderly parents in their late 80s. It’s completely normal. Lots of pharmacies are doing booster jabs. There are several within a couple of miles of me.

How was your mum notified to make an appointment? Mine was by text with a clicky link to a choice of 3 local centres all within 3 miles.
Failing that there is the NHS website ior 119.

For a week or so there were no appts, but I kept trying the link as they were only updating every couple of days. Got my slot a week after it was due.

My Dad got a text with a clicky link. The vaccination hubs were all too far away so I just called the GP and they vaccinated him at the local practice down the road. My Mum also got the same text with a clicky link, I called the GP again but they said they can’t help me, I have to take her to one of the vaccination hubs which are miles away and they can’t help with transport either.

They don't need to if you can take her there. Check on the booking system - my local Rowlands pharmacy in my village is doing boosters. That's even closer to my house than the GP surgery. I was surprised.

Does the clicky link not give you options to choose from? I have my booster tomorrow. I have a clicky link that links to my local hub and I can choose the site. However, if I go online via the general NHS “book a covid booster” site, I am offered lots more closer options I can pick from.

Does the clicky link not give you options to choose from?
Yes. The nearest is 9.7 miles.

10 miles is hardly a massive distance away!

Having them being done at a centralised point makes much more sense really, as does taking it away from the already over stretched GP system.

They are mostly at local pharmacies here

Would you rather your GP was tied up doing endless booster clinics, or actually available to deal with the backlog of medical appointments for everything else?
The vaccine hubs are usually located near to public transport/car parks and have drop off points for taxi or private cars to deliver patients.

@Ryannah

Does the clicky link not give you options to choose from? Yes. The nearest is 9.7 miles.

That's not far, even if you don't drive/have a car & go by taxi.

Wow! 10 miles is nothing. I thought you meant about 30 miles. Is there no bus or train service? Is your mum very elderly or has mobility problems? In my area the vaccination appts are all at weekends. Is it very difficult for you to accompany her?

Yes, that's the system for boosters. I had my two doses at GP but need to go 6 miles for my booster, which was the closest
Pharmacies and " mass centres" are other options
Govt guides say within 10 miles
I'm happy and very grateful with that
IMO you can't expect to be provided with transport

There aren’t even any appointments available at the vaccination hubs. Just a 1hr time slot. So presumably I could be waiting for a full hour! The GP was much more effective, I took my mum for a specific appointment time and was in and out in ten minutes.

Would you rather your GP was tied up doing endless booster clinics, or actually available to deal with the backlog of medical appointments for everything else?
I’d rather go to the GP 1 mile away and have a specific appointment time with the nurse. I don’t have time to do a 20 mile round trip and wait around for hours. It’s ridiculous.

Meh
I'm in Scotland and none of ours are done at GPs or pharmacies. I've carted several members of family up to the vaccination centre as they don't have transport. If the GP can't do it then you don't have many other options

At the vaccination hubs you just join a queue at your allotted time - you don’t wait to be called. So you only wait for as long as the queue is. There are a few stages of registration and clinical checking - but our experience is that things move quite quickly.

At the vaccination centre I went to, there was no queue either time and I was in and out in less than half an hour including the fifteen minute waiting period after.

I had mine done at a hub 5 miles away. I think that's very reasonable. On the website it gave an hour slot but when you clicked on the hour, it then gave individual times within that hour. But it doesn't matter. They weren't making people wait til the exact time. You're worrying about problems that probably won't happen. Just go with the flow and she'll be done in no time, then take her for a coffee and cake after and make it a day out.

GPs just can’t win at the moment.

I don’t think an hour wait ridiculous, even if it came to that. There are likely to be closer places, such as pharmacies, if you book via the NHS covid booster site and not by the clicky link.

Can’t you take her at the weekend or in an evening then if you are so busy. Or ask someone with more time to take her? What would you do if she had a hospital appointment? I appreciate it’s not as convenient as the gp but gps are snowed under.

There's a list here of all the sites that do COVID vaccinations in England, dated 13th October (I think they do one new version a month).

www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/hospital-hubs-and-local-vaccination-services/

There are 1160 pharmacies and 110 vaccination centres, as well as 231 hospital hubs which may also be offering vaccinations to the public.

If there aren't appointment available locally it may be because they're already booked up for the immediate future: more should be going on all the time.

@Ryannah

Would you rather your GP was tied up doing endless booster clinics, or actually available to deal with the backlog of medical appointments for everything else? I’d rather go to the GP 1 mile away and have a specific appointment time with the nurse. I don’t have time to do a 20 mile round trip and wait around for hours. It’s ridiculous.

Well just don't take her then .

If we want our loved ones protected then that can involve a bit of effort, all of us pulling together to protect our vulnerable population. Much like the many Nhs and volunteer staff working extra hours and often around their normal jobs to get us all vaccinated.

As PP said GP's just don't have to capacity to offer boosters
They had deadlines to meet with the first doses to get the CEV patients done and so on
IMO we have to take the initiative ourselves to get jabbed this time, and again the govt guidelines are to offer boosters within 10 miles
You may be lucky to find somewhere closer, but certainly not at GP's a mile away