GP surgeries contacting pg women about Swine Flu?

[BubbaAndBump]

Is it just me (and every pregnant woman I've spoken to in the past month) who has not been contacted by my GP surgery nor midwife team about getting the seasonal flu vaccination?

It's driving me mad that, every time the lack of a campaign comes up on national news, there is a health professional saying that those at risk (i.e. pregnant women) have been contacted and we're making the decision not to get the vaccine?

If you are pg, have you been contacted?

I am 33 weeks pregnant and having the injection tomorrow. I had to call my surgery and request it, following reading the news and even then the receptionist had to check if I was entitled to it, so clearly no urgency on behalf of the practice.

None of my HCPs have even mentioned it to me - midwife, GP or obstetric consultant, despite very frequent visits with them.

the NHS website says that under 5s are a risk group, rang my GPs and they said no they're not, and actually they are not stocking it at the moment anyway. Asked about Dh getting it and they said 'buy it in boots or sainsburys yourself"

I am now confused as to whether my under 5 should have it or not? and I don't understand why the GPs don't have any for ANYONE when what I read online says that people should be turning up for it

(not pg BTW)

I'm 37 weeks, DD is 3 and dh is asthmatic, none of us have been contacted about having the jab.

It's never been mentioned at any of my appointments with midwifes/gp etc.

I am 36 weeks and have not been contacted. I am away from home at mo, and decided to go and have it after reading stuff on here and in papers. Phoned local surgery and the receptionist told me I probably didn't need it. Phoned back 10 mins later to say I could come and have it.... but when I got there the nurse said I had to have the individual swine flu jab, anbd then the seasonal flu jab in 4 weeks....?? So i had the swine flu jab, cos that seems to be the worst flu if you're pregnant, and then will have to go and get seasonal jab later (if I have't given birth) - PITA.
I have been seeing my midwife regularly, and had to go to the doctor about a reaaally sore throat 2 weeks ago, and neither of them mentioned flu/flu jabs at all.
I get a bit cross with all the stuff on the news about pregnant people not taking up " the invitation" and Lansley saying "we know who the at risk groups are so we are targeting them" - clearly that's rubbish.

Exactly my point patienceplease - it's as if we're all ignoring all the phone calls/texts/letters imploring us to go and get vaccinated. Makes me

Also in addition to being telephoned about it a couple of weeks ago (so 27 ish weeks) I was definitely given a leaflet at my 16 week check - although our MW's are not keen on the vaccine so it wasn't in any way encouraged.

(BubbaAnd) Bump

I'm 32 weeks and not heard anything about it from my GP or Midwife. Are under 5's an at risk group? Because DS is 20 months and we've not been contacted about him having it, either.

indeed

That being the case, you can understand why they haven't sent out letters telling every member of a vulnerable group to go through that procedure, I suppose. But describing it as "low uptake" is a great big fib a little disingenuous.

I'm outraged at the lack of responsibility by GPs and GP surgeries - and at midwifery teams.

Saying it's "a little disingenuous" is very generous of you Santa

20 weeks pregnant here, no letter from GP or midwife. However I called them 2 weeks ago and got an appointment for a jab. It is annoying me that they are saying a campaign wasn't needed as we are all receiving letters.

I got a letter from my surgery yesterday morning saying 'Action Required' and that I'm in the 'at risk groups' because I have a 'compromised immune system'. No where did it mention pregnancy on the letter, which is the reason my immune system is compromised because I'm ravaged by hyperemesis (been hospitalised x4 in past 8 weeks. I'm 15 weeks pregnant. I know last week when I was admitted Dr's were concerned that all my levels???? are down so they repeated my bloods every day whilst I was in hospital. Don't know if this kicked off the letter or whether it's because I'm pg? All very strange.

(also popping in from Hyperemesis Hell)

(waves to Grumblin)

LunaticFringe I had exactly the same palava (sp?) getting hold of a vaccine as you listed in your earlier post. All sorted now but a but at the 'ad-hoc'-iness of it all.

I'm 8 weeks and my GP haven't contacted me about it, and the midwife I saw today didn't say anything either. More to the point, I think I've had swine flu or normal flu the last couple of weeks, and when I called the GP and said "I have flu symptoms and I'm pregnant, what should I do?" the receptionist told me to take paracetamol

Well, that is basically all you can do if you have flu symptoms and are pregnant.

I know that now, but why does the bloody NHS site say "If you think you may have H1N1 flu, call your doctor for an assessment. Your doctor will advise you what to do if they think you have flu." when the answer is "take paracetamol"? The website could just have said that! Also, I didn't get an assessment at all - no questions about my symptoms or anything. I found the whole experience unnecessarily worrying and calling my doctor just wasted everyone's time - so why is this the advice?

There's a national shortage of flu vaccinations according to Occy Health at work. I got a vaccination as an NHS worker but the Occy Health person said they were struggling to get the vaccinations and that GP surgeries are running low/out.

Well, it depends how bad your flu is. If it's bad enough you need admitting to hospital but in most cases you don't. They should have at least asked about how bad your symptoms were, although I guess they may have assumed that if you were calling in yourself and sounding fairly compos mentis they were unlikely to be at the emergency level.

Crazy thing is that I know my employers offered the vaccine a month or so ago to any employee who wanted it at their offices (I work from home and am over an hour away from the nearest office). But now there's a shortage for the genuinely vulnerable groups. Hmm.

No wonder they're keeping it schtumm then. Still, makes a bloomin' mockery of the whole thing if the news continues to say we're not coming forward for the vaccinations, when actually a)there aren't enough to go round and b)they're not keeping us informed about it in the first place.

I'm 34 weeks and asked if I needed the jab at my 27/28 week appointment. The midwife said they were encouraging all pregnant women to have it, but I got the impression that she would never have mentioned it if I hadn't.

I had to convince the nurse that my 3YO should have a jab after she missed the swine flu sweep earlier this year, and she only got it as there was surplus SF vaccine left over from the summer (i.e. She would not have been offered the seasonal flu jab including the SF).

DH is asthmatic and rang the surgery to make an appointment rather than received an invite.

I asked at my surgery whether I could have the jab, they said yes and booked me in for the following day.
I hadnt been asked to go. I was amused that the nurse refused to give me the jab and made a doctor do it, as she apparently wasn't sure she was "covered" to give the flu jab to pregnant women.
I am 21 weeks.

I'm not pregnant but in an at risk group. Not been written to to invite for jab.

I had it last year (and was invited by letter by previous surgery) but haven't had a letter from new, v organised surgery this year. So they must have decided not to send out letters.

Is there any income for GPs which is linked to vaccinating above a specific percentage of at risk groups? If not, has this changed? Be interested if anyone knows. GPs are a business and led, in part, by financial incentives (ie national govt carrots) in terms of what to focus on.

I might ask for a jab now to see is they have it available.