Doctor won't do 8 week jabs

[starlight1111]

So my son needs his 8 week jabs, I rang the surgery, they said their protocol is a 40 minute baby check before they'll let them have the jabs, but the appointment is so long they can only do one a day, the nearest appointment is end of August when he'll be 15 weeks, then after that, I'd need to arrange an appointment for the jabs.
So I said well he needs the jabs way before then. The letter states they need to be done as close to 8weeks as possible.
So by the time he has his 8 weeks jabs he'll have missed the 12 week ones and the 16 week ones will be due.
I was on the phone to the receptionist for ages explaining I'm not happy to wait and who's responsible if my son catches something the jabs are for, I got nowhere and she said you could always change surgery or go private, does anyone know what I can do and what my rights are?

@LiterallyOnFire our surgery is so outdated. To complain you have to write a letter and take it in. I will be doing that though

@Needmorelego the doctor doesn't "allow" the 8 week jabs to be done until the baby has had an 8 week check with him, I wasn't even told about this so was completely unaware of it, the nurse does the jabs after you're forced to wait and see the doctor for the check

@modgepodge the 6 week check was done by that health visitor, I couldn't register him at the surgery until I had the birth certificate and our registry place didn't have an appt till last week and I booked that as soon as he was born

@FlyingAfterDark I wasn't told anything, never even heard of an 8 week check

You should have a 6 week check with a GP (as well as your HV possibly) - I don’t think HVs are qualified to check some of the things GPs check for. This is for both you and baby.

@Needmorelego he had the 6 week check at the health visitors

@ChubSeedsYorkie the birth registry place had no appts till last week and you can't register without the birth certificate and I booked that as soon as he was born, the health visitor did say they would see him with the red book but they refused

I'm just concerned he isn't getting the jabs when they're needed. Our nurse always has appts so that isn't the problem; it's the gp not being able to do the check until end of August. I've contacted the health visitor and she said lots of people are having this problem, she is going to contact the doctor but I'm not sure what sort of power they have if any

Just to say I also had a check with my HV at 6 weeks but it was not as thorough as the doctor one. They weighed him, asked how I was, gave feeding advice.
they did not check my stitches, check baby’s hips, groin pulses, eyes etc all of which need doing by the GP.
sounds like you weren’t given the right information about which appointments to book when, and also the GP should have let you register with just the red book (mine did). Waiting for a birth certificate has put a delay in you booking appointments and now there’s none left. I would definitely complain about this.

I sincerely hope that Labour are going to bring GP surgeries/primary care back into full NHS control.
It's like the Wild West.

He won't miss his 12 week jabs, he'll get all of them just a few weeks late for each set.

@modgepodge the receptionists are really rude and unhelpful, I went there 4 weeks ago with the red book and she said, no you can't register with a red book, BC only, I stated the HV said I could and she said well the HV is wrong. I think I'm gonna change surgeries.

@LiterallyOnFire it's frightening

I had my 6 week check and 8 week jabs at the same time at about 13 weeks, which I was annoyed about at the time. But it actually meant I was less stressed about giving her the calpol and when I think back it was awful enough with the temperature/being upset at 13 weeks, I think I’d have found it more difficult at 8 weeks.

@starlight1111 it does seem you have been given some bad advice. At my GPs if you needed the doctor before you had the birth certificate it was just booked under the mother's name.
I would take the appointment. As soon as the first set of jabs are done go straight to reception to book in the 2nd lot (and the same after you've done the 2nd for the 3rd).
I would also consider putting in an official complaint. They shouldn't be refusing medical care because you didn't have the birth certificate.

@Somanylemons I get where you're coming from but I'm just worried he'll catch something that they vaccinate against

You are confusing the HV birth follow up contact ( done at 6 to 8 weeks) with the GP 6 to 8 week check….2 completely different things

I’ve never heard of needing to have baby’s birth certificate before you can register at the GP before? That is madness! My baby was registered at 5 days old and all I had to do was fill in a form. We were told to book an appointment for 8 week check and jabs at around 4 weeks but my surgery actually automatically made the appointment so I didn’t have to. It used to be a 6 week check with GP and then 8 week jabs but they’ve amalgamated them. And 6 week check with HV is different, that’s all about baby whereas the GP looks after both mum and baby.
I can’t understand why you have to have the 8 week check before they are allowed to give the jabs, with the increasing cases of whooping cough etc the earlier baby is protected the better. Let the HV try and make contact but I would keep badgering them every day until they make a closer appointment. They may end up with a cancellation maybe. Hope you get it sorted.

@Kitkat1523 I wasn't told about an 8 week check, didn't have them with my other 2

This is absolutely batshit, with the rising diseases due to less people being vaccinated you'd think they'd be desperate to get babies done. I'd also be worried waiting longer for that reason.
Did you get your whooping cough jab in pregnancy? That would be my biggest concern at the moment.
I hope your HV can help

@Emmacb82 the receptionist lied and said I couldn't register without the BC and today she was so rude and horrible, change surgeries or go private was her solution

That’s awful, in particular right now because of the whooping cough outbreak.

Can your HV help?

If not, it’s one of the very few times I’d recommend getting your MP involved, both to kick the GP up the bum and evidence to the MP of what a dire state things are in.

They’ve been around for years and years ….. all babies are offered them

You could write to your MP. I couldn't get a COVID job for my five year old (when they were still being offered) I suspect because she turned five just before the deadline so they were phasing them out, I couldn't get an appointment within 50 miles at any reasonable time. I wrote to my MP and she involves the local vaccination service (don't quote me on exact name) and they got it sorted.

@QuiltedHippo yes I had the whooping cough vaccine at 19 weeks, I've never known a surgery to be so unhelpful