The Lemon Fool

Got a text earlier this week inviting me to book a booster jab appointment.

Duly booked for today, I turn up at the surgery: there’s a bit of a queue which I join. Mutterings from all the crinklies around me…I didn’t have to wait last time…what a shambles…this is ridiculous: I’ll miss Escape to the Country at this rate…bloody marvellous.. this is ridiculous…this is ridiculous

I think to myself, there are billions of folks around the world who haven’t even had ONE jab, and here’s me about to get my THIRD and all for free.

They’re turning away walk-ins – you have to have an appointment - so I get to the front of the queue and smugly show the lady on the desk the appointment on my phone. She takes one look, wrinkles her eyebrows and says, “this is for Oct 29th not Oct 22nd.”

I’m a week early. I look at my phone and stare as I might, it unreasonably refuses to change from 29/10/21 to 22/10/21. I’m thinking to myself, “Oh for God’s sake, what an absolute plonker, you decrepit old geezer…”

I guess I must have looked dazed and confused because at this point the lady leans over the desk and says loudly, slowly and clearly, “YOU’VE COME A WEEK EARLY. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

Well of course, quick as a flash I adopt my confused old duffer demeanour – which came extremely naturally to me – and said, “Oh…ermm…meh..meh…I’m 92 you know. Is Disraeli still Prime Minister?” etc etc.

The lady’s shoulders slump, taps away at her keyboard and lets me in.

I get my jab and then go to the main waiting room for my 15 minutes. No timers this time. I guess they are working on the theory that if you survived 2 jabs, a 3rd one isn’t going to finish you off.

So that’s it till the fourth one, whensoever that may be

simsqu wrote:I think to myself, there are billions of folks around the world who haven’t even had ONE jab, and here’s me about to get my THIRD and all for free.

Sorry to spoil your day, but it isn't for free, is it? What do you think all those millions you pay in tax, NI, VAT etc are for?
Come to think of it, how do I know that my tax payments weren't used to pay for your jab? Maybe you can even things up by using your tax to pay for my booster the week after next.

doolally
edit..... just checked, definitely the week after next. The 3rd. Don't want to get the wrong date

doolally wrote:Sorry to spoil your day, but it isn't for free, is it? What do you think all those millions you pay in tax, NI, VAT etc are for?

I thought they were for Dido Harding's friends?

BJ

simsqu wrote:Got a text earlier this week inviting me to book a booster jab appointment.

Duly booked for today, I turn up at the surgery: there’s a bit of a queue which I join. Mutterings from all the crinklies around me…I didn’t have to wait last time…what a shambles…this is ridiculous: I’ll miss Escape to the Country at this rate…bloody marvellous.. this is ridiculous…this is ridiculous

Odd. I had to join a queue for first two vaccinations (not unreasonably long) at a local GP surgery/clinic. I had the booster at a different medical centre with only a short queue!

simsqu wrote:I think to myself, there are billions of folks around the world who haven’t even had ONE jab, and here’s me about to get my THIRD and all for free.

They’re turning away walk-ins – you have to have an appointment - so I get to the front of the queue and smugly show the lady on the desk the appointment on my phone. She takes one look, wrinkles her eyebrows and says, “this is for Oct 29th not Oct 22nd.”

I’m a week early. I look at my phone and stare as I might, it unreasonably refuses to change from 29/10/21 to 22/10/21. I’m thinking to myself, “Oh for God’s sake, what an absolute plonker, you decrepit old geezer…”

Before COVID I used to go regularly to public lectures, generally held at the same place but sometimes elsewhere. I would keep turning up at the wrong venue (or even the wrong day!). Whereupon I tried to look completely unperturbed, as if I knew exactly what I was doing, before calmly making my exit and then dashing off madly to try and make the correct venue in time.

.

in wales we can now walk in for the booster without an appointment on any day .

subject to being 24 weeks after second jab .

i think this will apply elsewhere very soon .

In Wales we can also be left waiting in an ambulance for 12 hours before being admitted to Wrexham Maelor Hospital. The lady concerned wasn't without company though as at one point there were a total of thirteen ambulances, all with patients, waiting to be admitted. The vaccination programme does seem to have worked well but the rest of NHS Wales seems to be having difficulties.

R6

I had to "queue" for my first jab, but only a couple of people ahead of me, and we were all in the warmth of the indoor centre where the jabs were being administered.

However, the poor volunteer checking that I was on the list, and pointing us in the direction of the entrance was standing outside in the pouring rain, with a clipboard with soaking wet pieces of paper containing the list of people to be jabbed. There are some very good people out there. He was one of them.

It is odd. The main vaccination centre apparently has a walk in availability, but for appointments it is a 3 week wait and you go to a pharmacy.

TJH

tjh290633 wrote:It is odd. The main vaccination centre apparently has a walk in availability, but for appointments it is a 3 week wait and you go to a pharmacy.

TJH

Yesterday I got a text inviting me to get a booster, so I leapt on line and made an appointment at a vaccination centre about ten miles away for this coming Monday afternoon.

Coincidentally I drove past said vaccination centre yesterday anyway, around midday. The place was all locked up without the slightest hint of any activity, or I'd have tried for a 'walk-in' regardless. All very curious.

Rhyd6 wrote:In Wales we can also be left waiting in an ambulance for 12 hours before being admitted to Wrexham Maelor Hospital. The lady concerned wasn't without company though as at one point there were a total of thirteen ambulances, all with patients, waiting to be admitted. The vaccination programme does seem to have worked well but the rest of NHS Wales seems to be having difficulties.

R6

What's the official criteria for being admitted?

My experience a few years back was that someone saw me more-or-less immediately (then buggered off leaving me in limbo despite a promise of a return), but I was perhaps 10 hours in trolley-land before I was officially admitted to a "bed". The trolley was a whole lot more pleasant than the bed. Does that count as a five minutes or ten hours wait?

Mike4 wrote:Coincidentally I drove past said vaccination centre yesterday anyway, around midday. The place was all locked up without the slightest hint of any activity, or I'd have tried for a 'walk-in' regardless. All very curious.

Some vaccination centres, including ours, are only jabbing at weekends. During the rest of the week they're used as GP clinics, community centres and so forth. Or, as you've found, they're shuttered and locked. And all the while, they're making people wait three weeks or more for booster appointments. It makes my blood boil, frankly.

BJ

The health centre that covers this area has washed it's hands of covid. It covers 15,000 patients and hasn't provided 1 covid jab throughout the pandemic. Everyone has had to travel for their vaccination to other practices at least 7 miles away, in my wifes case she travelled 20 miles on both occasions. My nearest neighbour is 84 and has severe MS had to travel 10 miles.

Has anyone else had this situation at their health centre?

sg31 wrote:The health centre that covers this area has washed it's hands of covid. It covers 15,000 patients and hasn't provided 1 covid jab throughout the pandemic. Everyone has had to travel for their vaccination to other practices at least 7 miles away, in my wifes case she travelled 20 miles on both occasions. My nearest neighbour is 84 and has severe MS had to travel 10 miles.

Has anyone else had this situation at their health centre?

My local health centre/GPs' surgery called me on both occasions for my first and second jabs, but they appear not to be involved in the booster jab. I got a letter from the NHS with an appointment and in it asking me to go to a vaccine centre 18 miles away. I did so and found no waiting and straight in for the jab. It also appears to have a walk in centre there but I do not know whether that was doing boosters or for those who have not had their first or second jabs. I suspect the latter. They also gave me my flu jab whilst I was there.

GP surgeries can only do vaccine work at weekends so I guess this is a quicker way to get the booster in arms and I had no complaints. If I did not have a car though it might be a bit more difficult because it is the best part of an hour on a bus.

Dod

I'm afraid the booster arrangements are not nearly as good as those that existed for the original jabs which to be fair were exemplary. Today I had a text inviting me to attend my local hospital for a booster jab with a link to the appointment arrangements. The problem is the link didn't work. So I telephoned 119 and was told to book online which I attempted only to be told I wasn't eligible which was a surprise given my earlier invitation and the fact I am beyond 6 months from my previous jab.

That aside who is the new vaccine MInister? Not heard a peep since appointed. Don't answer I've googled it and it is a woman I've never heard of. Someone needs to get a grip on these arrangements.

Since writing the above I've now discovered, after being locked out of the link provided, I'm now in so have booked an appointment for the nearest available date which is 8 November.

Mike88 wrote:Today I had a text inviting me to attend my local hospital for a booster jab with a link to the appointment arrangements. The problem is the link didn't work. So I telephoned 119 and was told to book online which I attempted only to be told I wasn't eligible which was a surprise given my earlier invitation and the fact I am beyond 6 months from my previous jab.

I had an invalid link via text as well. The drop-down menus for entering my date of birth didn't work, so I couldn't get anywhere at all. I decided to try giving them a six-digit version (day, month, two digit year), and I was in straight away.

Might work for others. Pass it on.

BJ

simsqu wrote:...

Delightfully funny as ever. Thanks. C.

sg31 wrote:The health centre that covers this area has washed it's hands of covid. ....Has anyone else had this situation at their health centre?

Our local centre is jabbing as before, although both OH and I have separate weekend appts, so I dunno what happens during the week. It does involve a lot of volunteers, I suppose they may be in short supply on weekdays.

OH has her booster next Saturday afternoon, so today our visit to the farmers' market was also a chance to plan... being later than usual where we'll park, where to have lunch, how we'll get a (not bookable) table, what we might eat, how to co-ordinate the later-than-usual shopping....
OH does like to plan.. a trait I think inherited from her father who had been known to drive 50 miles to an unfamiliar location to sus out the lie of the land and potential parking spots.

V8

Another issue I have with the system, in addition to those already mentioned, is that you are supposed to be sent confirmation of a booked appointment. That hasn't happened in my case. So I go onto the NHS "Manage my Booking" site and the system tells me I am ineligible for a jab despite the fact the NHS has sent me an invitation to book and a booking has been made at least I thought it has. So I too have to put on a dumb act (not difficult) and telephone my GP on Monday. What a pilava.

Mike88 wrote:Another issue I have with the system, in addition to those already mentioned, is that you are supposed to be sent confirmation of a booked appointment. That hasn't happened in my case. So I go onto the NHS "Manage my Booking" site and the system tells me I am ineligible for a jab despite the fact the NHS has sent me an invitation to book and a booking has been made at least I thought it has. So I too have to put on a dumb act (not difficult) and telephone my GP on Monday. What a pilava.

Good luck! From what I hear from certain over-worked nurses in surgeries, your GP may be too busy on the golf course!


Steve

stevensfo wrote:

Mike88 wrote:Another issue I have with the system, in addition to those already mentioned, is that you are supposed to be sent confirmation of a booked appointment. That hasn't happened in my case. So I go onto the NHS "Manage my Booking" site and the system tells me I am ineligible for a jab despite the fact the NHS has sent me an invitation to book and a booking has been made at least I thought it has. So I too have to put on a dumb act (not difficult) and telephone my GP on Monday. What a pilava.

Good luck! From what I hear from certain over-worked nurses in surgeries, your GP may be too busy on the golf course!


Steve

Thanks. When I said I would speak to my GP I meant one of the Practice's receptionist. It's probably a given the Doctor is out to play.