Covid Jab

I think so Andy

 

Tell her it’s a flu booster

 

If you can make her feel that it’s just like her flu jab and similarly important, maybe that will help put her mind at rest.

 

I guess at the end of the day it’s her decision. She thinks (and she might be correct) that they can’t have tested the vaccine on people taking the heart tablets she’s taking. It’s a tricky one because, if anything happened to her after I’d persuaded her to get the jab, I wouldn’t forgive myself.

 

At her age I assume she has a doctor she hopefully trust. Perhaps a visit to him/her could give her some assurance?

 

I’m not a doctor and have no medical training so this is just my thought - It’s not a drug she’s taking that could have unknown contraindications. Definitely worth her getting some proper advice. Telling her ‘the Triumph forum said it was ok’ probably won’t help much.

 

I’ve three of those conditions on the underlying health list and apparently my immunisation jab could be anytime from the end of next month, which is a bit odd because as far as I know they haven’t come up with anything suitable yet to meet my needs, however I’m willing to take anything that at least two of my consultants can agree on as being safe

 

Between the 14/5/21 and 5/6/21 for me.
I hope this doesn't effect my being able to get away next year.

 

hmmm yes, I’ve been wondering if some countries will require proof of vaccine before entry.

 

Hmmm... my other half is due to get hers next week (she works in the care home sector) and I'm seemingly between 16/03/2021 and 26/04/2021 (60 with type 2 diabetes). Could be worse but given that it'll take 5 weeks from the first shot to be effective it's still quite a while to wait.

 

Just took my parents-in-law for their first Covid jab at Milton Keynes hospital.

Looked promising, the invite said they were the first appointment (8am) for Green Team A, separate building in the hospital grounds with its own car parking. “Don’t turn up until 5 minutes before the appointment to minimise time in the building.”

So at 7.50am we left the car and walked to join a queue of eight others. 10 minutes later we were “checked in”. Why so slow? Well the woman checking in had to do the following:

1 Ask for name, address, phone number for contact tracing and write it down on a sheet of paper. No computer system or even pre-printed list of those pre-booked in. No use of NHS contact tracing app. No QR code to scan.

2 Check temperature

3 Stop, pick up hygienic wipes, and clean sections of the waiting room whenever a patient was called through to stage 2.

And what was stage 2...?

Someone from “next door” arrived and waited for “contact tracing lady” to stop writing on her paper sheet, so she could pick up said paper sheet and call the next person. “Robert...., Robert? Oh has Robert already gone through? OK, Beryl..? No? Rosemary..? Ah good, Rosemary, please come with me.”

Sit down at another desk next door with yet another woman to register with the hospital. Yes, register with the hospital.

Can I have your name and address? Have you ever been to this hospital before? No, OK I need to register you with the hospital. Name, address, DOB, GP name and surgery address. Sorry, need to know the name of surgery and first and last names of GP. Really? No-one knows their GP’s Christian name!
Can’t find him on the system, are you sure that’s your GP? Let me get some help from a colleague.

“I can’t find the GP on the system, what do I do? Oh, look on Google, find the surgery website, and just pick any GP. OK.”

Hmm well maybe this is the one. Let me type this info into the computer.

Right, that’s done. Now can we make an appointment for your second jab? There you are.

OK, now go and have a seat in another waiting area. Immediately met by a GP who took them into another room. Can we fill in this paper prescription form? I need your name, address, DOB, thank you, now can we answer these questions on the form?

Now I need to take this prescription, please go to that room over there.

Hello, can you confirm your name and address please? How do you spell that? Sorry I can’t find you on the hospital system. How about your date of birth. Oh yes, I have a Rosemary ***** in the system, is that you? How do you spell that? No that’s not how it’s spelled here. Are you sure that’s right? Oh we must have entered you on the system wrong. Never mind.

Now which arm do you write with? OK we will vaccinate in the other arm. What’s that? Oh your flu jab is always given in the other arm? Because you’ve had breast surgery? Oh. Yes it might be because of lymph nodes, you could be right. OK we’ll do the other arm then.

Nurse arrives with vaccine and administers jab.

Go to another room wait 15 minutes.

OK, your 15 minutes are up, come to this desk, can I have your name and address please? Sorry I don’t have anyone with that name on the system. What’s your DOB? Oh there’s a Rosemary ***** in the system, is that you? Oh, we must have entered you wrong, I’ll see if I can get that changed.

Fine, you’re checked out now.

Total time from arrival in queue 75 minutes.

Completely inefficient. We have no chance of administering millions of doses a day if this is how the NHS does it. I find it incredible that in this day and age we still don’t have a single nationwide NHS database. And we still use paper to record our transactions with it!

 

That is truly ridiculous, shambolic!!

 

Dosen't sound like they have it sorted does it. Mind when ever I have been to hospital at every point during the visit when I have moved from section to section they have always asked for my name and date of birth. That is part of their checks to ensure that they have the correct person (you) and not somebody else. We will have to see if it improves with time......

 

I’m guessing not, but did they receive any documentation to show they had received the vaccine?

 

You’re right about personal information checks, there are to ensure patient safety.

I’m sorry @figwold that it was a crap experience. A large scale vaccination program has been planned as a key part of the Covid response since the first lock down... I agree that it should have been better/smoother planned than that! I’ll let you know how mine goes this evening.

The issue of “global patient records “ is one of those curiously persistent hangovers from the nhs going ”trust” based... but it’s massively frustrating to health care practitioners, I can promise you that!

 

Why can't it be done with an national insurance number or national health number? All the information is already there
Walk in give the number tick you off give you the jab done

 

Well M-in-Law is deaf and lip reads so we have to accompany her

 

I think it’s because the jabs are not at the local GP but rather at a vaccine “hub”. MK hospital is covering Beds, Bucks and Herts at the moment and obviously doesn’t have a database of patients to access.

 

What’s happening to the BM if you don’t last that long Ade,,,,,will you donate it to a poor Northern pensioner,,,,,,,ME