Why not make booster availability as easy as vaccine availability?

[BigButtons]

Where I am SE England the vaccine rollout was excellent. It was easily accessible and very efficient with loads of local centres.
I have been trying to book my booster and am being asked to now travel over an hour away. I’d they want people to take the booster jabs why are they not making it easier to do so?
Is it the same everywhere else? Even walk in centres are reducing in number. I don’t get it.
I want to get my booster but it’s nigh on impossible to find a space.

We don't have the vaccine supplies or staff capacity to meet the massive increase in people who have become eligible overnight

@GiveMeNovocain

We don't have the vaccine supplies or staff capacity to meet the massive increase in people who have become eligible overnight

The problem is that the system has not updated to allow for three month boosters, and yet people were turning up at our centre today expecting to get one. 119 still had us down as a walk-in centre, although we are not, so we got massive flack from people who had been given the wrong information. We tried to accommodate as many walk-ins as possible, whilst giving priority to booked appointments, but it was extremely trying today and the attitude of some people absolutely stinks. Knackered and about to hit the wine.

We don't have the vaccine supplies or staff capacity to meet the massive increase in people who have become eligible overnight

But haven't all over 50s and cev and medical and caring staff been done.? Aren't the over 40s being done? Surely under 40s just a natural progression and has the least take up anyway.

@ajandjjmum
but it was extremely trying today and the attitude of some people absolutely stinks

I'm very sorry about that. I've had a really good experience of the roll put and all the staff, both medical and admin, have been friendly and kind. I'm so sorry people have been horrible to you but know that 99.9% of us are very appreciative of what you do.
Enjoy your wine. 🍷 Hic.

@madisonbridges

We don't have the vaccine supplies or staff capacity to meet the massive increase in people who have become eligible overnight

But haven't all over 50s and cev and medical and caring staff been done.? Aren't the over 40s being done? Surely under 40s just a natural progression and has the least take up anyway.

I'm over 50, and my booster is in two weeks.

I'm group 6 and had my booster at exactly 6 months. Give them time to implement the plans.

Sorry @BatshitCrazyWoman. My friends in the over 40s bracket are being done now so thought that was across the country.

@madisonbridges

We don't have the vaccine supplies or staff capacity to meet the massive increase in people who have become eligible overnight

But haven't all over 50s and cev and medical and caring staff been done.? Aren't the over 40s being done? Surely under 40s just a natural progression and has the least take up anyway.

I'm over 60 and can't get an appointment locally, hoping something opens up next week, I'm pretty much resigned to it being January now, so not all over 50s been done

My nearest place to get my booster is 45 miles away and I don’t drive - live fairly rurally with crappy transport links so it’s virtually impossible for me to get too!
Ridiculous when I had my initial vaccines a 10 minute bus ride away. I really don’t mind travelling if it’s at all doable but it’s just utterly ridiculous!
My local area has a lot of older people who also don’t drive and it would be impossible for them to get to the nearest place to get their booster. Badly thought out!

@User5489205347. Yes. Batshit saud something similar. I guess I've just been lucky where I live both with my flu and covid jabs. The chemists have been great round us.

I'm in East Sussex, for last 3weeks I keep being told I currently have to travel to Chatham for my booster. Going to wait and hope something nearer becomes available in next few months

@KittenCatcher

Yes but they do the flu vaccine so why cant they do them both at the same time like hundreds of other places do around the country. Do you think offering a financial incentive would make a difference.

My surgery tried really hard to be able to offer covid as well as flu vaccines. We put in many hours of work, only to be told no by the CCG because we couldn't offer it every day, only a few days a week (like we do with flu clinics) and were told we would have to vaccinate patients of the other local surgeries who hadn't signed up to do it, rather than just vaccinating our registered patients (like we do with flu clinics!). We don't have the space or staff for that, so we aren't allowed to do it at all. We could have vaccinated all our own patients. But local healthcare politics put a stop to it.

It's incredibly frustrating.

I've been vaccinating at our local hub alongside my regular job, since January. Most of us have other jobs that are are fitting it in with and demand for staff far outweighs our availability. We're all kind of exhausted with it now, but it has to be done, I've just signed up for every Saturday until Easter, having worked every Saturday for most of this year.

Ragz, I know how frustrating it can be, I am a retired hcp after 30 years service. Maybe things will change now with the promise of 10,000 extra vacinnators and the military helping deliver the vacinnes and boosters but somehow I doubt it. I am surprised the military are not prioritising helping people who have gone days without any power, heat, hot water or hot food.

I'm 43. I booked my booster on Monday 21st, the first day I could do it via the NHS site. It's booked for 2 weeks time, which will be exactly 6 months after my 2nd jab. I have to travel 30 mins to get it and it's a journey that can only be done by car.

I'm a volunteer at a GP hub held in a town hall that's earmarked for demolition once this is all done! We are running with 50% fewer volunteers but that's fine because we've combined jobs. What we struggle with is vaccinators - we had 5 on Saturday, at the peak we had 12 plus another 4 from St Johns Ambulance. Everyone is doing this around their normal job, it's relentless and people are worn out. One vaccinator did a double shift - that's 12 hours with just a 30 min break.

In the beginning, patients were so grateful, brought cards, biscuits and chocolates. Now they moan about queuing, moan if we're out of flu vaccine, moan if they come a week early and can't have it, moan about having to wait 15 minutes afterwards.

So if you are getting your booster and can spare a pound, please buy a packet of chocolate biscuits for your centre. You've no idea how welcome a choccy hobnob is after a 4 hour shift on the front door asking screening questions in the wind and rain!

So if you are getting your booster and can spare a pound, please buy a packet of chocolate biscuits for your centre. You've no idea how welcome a choccy hobnob is after a 4 hour shift on the front door asking screening questions in the wind and rain!

I'll do this 😀

I'm happy to volunteer as I have a lot of time on my hands at the moment but I've emailed 3 times over the last few months and never had a response.