So I've been involved in the programme - spent a day drinking weak team and vaccinating all the care home residents and staff in my local area (was quite fun actually..)
We've got 3 sites set up locally to vaccinate the WHOLE of the local area (it's not GP practice specific... if you live 'here'... you'll get a vaccine at one of the sites..from any staff member/GP, when invited in for it..)
There's been loads in teh press about "why not vaccinate 24/7" etc etc... the real reason is it's being delivered (locally) by GPs and their staff. Who are STILL having to provide all the usual day-to-day treatment and care. As well as, you know, eat and sleep and poop etc...
Anyway....
I get an email today saying that one of the sites has had TWO EXTRA PFIZER CASES DELIVERED....
That's 1400 EXTRA vaccines that were NOT expected. That haven't had patients booked in to receive. That will perish in just over 72 hours.
You literally can't make this madness up.
So the team involved is now having to work like crazy to 'generate' an available 1400 extra patients to be vaccinated, as well as staff this additional process.
I know GPs and the like get a lot of bashing, and i PROMISE you that if a single of those vaccines has to be binned, it will be me and my local colleagues hung out to dry for letting it happen... but it's important that people realise the absolute shambles of a system we are trying our best to work in!!
DrP
Who sent it?
That is crazy Dr P. Thanks for everything you are all doing though, you are making a massive difference.
What area are you covering DrP - post up and I'm sure you'll get a few volunteers to take any last minute doses that would otherwise be binned.
Thank you DrP and everyone else who is doing their best with this programme.
Here in my bit of Manchester we’ve vaccine for the next couple of days, after that we’ve no info on when we’ll be getting more
GPs and the like get zero bashing from here mate. No front line NHS staff get less than my 100% admiration.
Regarding your point about extra vaccines at no notice, I think that this will be one of many such stories...
My wifes friend who works in a local authority health and social care partnership, office based, wfh since March 20, and is 42 with no health issues, got her first shot yesterday.
I assumed it was due to something like this, as my 96 year old neighbour hasn't had hers yet.
pretty sure I’m less than 72 hrs drive away. 🤔 Give me a shout if I’m needed 😂What area are you covering DrP – post up and I’m sure you’ll get a few volunteers to take any last minute doses that would otherwise be binned.
Got any spare?
I pay good price!
DrP roaming the local High Street the day after tomorrow...
Thanks for all your efforts.
Here in my bit of Manchester we’ve vaccine for the next couple of days, after that we’ve no info on when we’ll be getting more
I think we were under the impression we'd get one box (which was planned for), and that was it.
The current issue is: the site that had the 3 boxes delivered is actually fully booked up now.. and i believe technically, we aren't allowed to move the vaccines once they are delivered to a single site!!!
Thus, we really need to be
a)allowed to move the vaccine to the other sites
b)get staff to deliver it
c)get patients in!!
Let's see!!
DrP
Stealth ad - reported 🙂
Funnily enough..it was MY area that had the scandal of the £5k being offered!!!
searches for the link... makes a few phone calls... 😉
DrP
I can’t help thinking that even though this is a pain for you, will cause issues and arguments down the line I think that the news that we have more vaccines than we can get out to people is MILES better than not having enough.
Obviously they may be better used elsewhere but having a surplus is a good thing right now.
WOW, That's mad.
I'm guessing another site somewhere else in the country is wondering where their two cases are?
Just second dose everyone on their first visit over the next 72hrs.
One left arm, one right, job jobbed. I mean if we can move the second dose out by weeks one way, why joy the other eh?
we have more vaccines than we can get out to people
If only that were the case. Last I heard from our local GP partnership was that on Monday they expected to get 400 doses to vaccinate 1500 over 80s. From the silence since I suspect that's all they got. So if you're anywhere near Bucks there's over a thousand people who could use any spare doses!
My wifes friend who works in a local authority health and social care partnership, office based, wfh since March 20, and is 42 with no health issues, got her first shot yesterday.
in NHS lothian there is a staff booking line. They will accept any staff but there is guidance on the intranet where the phone number is posted asking that staff give priority to the staff facing actual significant risk. Ie red wards, A&E AMU etc. Thus the person you mention has breached rule number 1 assuming the same guidence. this is why I held back a month. I am getting mine today tho and my parents have not had theirs yet.
DrP
My guess is that this is exactly as you suspect - its a political move so Johnson and co can say " we have delivered the vaccines" and blame lack of giving them on GPs
Madness! Keep at it DrP, top work.
How to get 1400 folk immediately?? Pop-up at Stanmer Park?. It's a sunny day and nice looking weekend. Got to be thousands of older folk going for a walk or shredding e-bikes 😉
Exactly the same story relayed to me by doctors at London hospitals
They had to bin a load, quite a few random flatmates & family members of staff got it, but nothing could be done about a lot of them, as it was last thing on a Friday
My wife (NHS Scotland) received a work email yesterday with instructions to click on a website link and book a vaccination appointment for next week. The link didn't work (DNS not resolved).
She has just received a work email (from the same person that sent out yesterdays) that says that she should ignore that and will be contacted individually regarding a booking.
I know that everyone is working hard to get through this but there's been months to prepare for it.
THough I normally like to take a leading role in things, I'll admit that my current involvement in delivering the vaccine is minimal, and is mainly the odd day here and there (still working..single parent..homeschooling etc etc) - but there's a group of GPs and practice managers locally who are REALLY doing us all proud! I shall pass on your kind words to them!
DrP
Thus the person you mention has breached rule number 1 assuming the same guidence
Tbf to her, and I generally ain't, she's a tosser, she works for the council not a NHS trust, and was told by her managers to get it done.
I know that everyone is working hard to get through this but there’s been months to prepare for it.
Perhaps they've known this was coming for months but I doubt they've had the actual time between doing their normal job and also vaccinating people 24/7.
My wife (GP) was vaccinated on Monday and on Tuesday was asked to vaccinate other people in her free time. The idea of spending 8 hours in a room with a load of potentially infected people 3 weeks before her vaccine kicks in didn't exactly have her jumping at the opportunity. She still did it though.
Turns out DrP is a real doctor! Like Dr Foster from the telly.
I wondered if he was more like Dr Dre, or maybe even one of those PhD types from university.
Big up DrP and all the vaccinators. Keep pumpin! The odd logistical **** up is inevitable given the scale of this and I'm getting the vibe that the vaccination programme is broadly a success so far (although I have nothing to do with it - purely anecdotal).
Johnson and his lackeys can blame whomever they want but history will tell that they were asleep at the wheel.
I think they might be mine;
I had a message from Hermes that my 2 parcels had been delivered, but there were no footprints in the snow and I was looking out of the window all day. This happened two days in a row.
i believe technically, we aren’t allowed to move the vaccines once they are delivered to a single site!!!
If they're defrosted it would be tricky to move them and keep within the storage regulations - in this respect the AZ vaccine is somewhat better.
Any idea how they're delivered Dr P - is each vial of vaccine packed with the diluent or do you get a box of vaccine and a box of diluent?
Is this still available?
I reckon my 75 year old mum and dad would drive for a long long time to get a dose, given so far their gp surgery has only vaccinated 100 people so far and it looks like they wont get theirs for month's! so if that's possible let me know and I'll send then along!
Johnson and his lackeys can blame whomever they want but history will tell that they were asleep at the wheel.
Is that why the UK is ahead of nearly every other country in vaccines delivered?
The idea of spending 8 hours in a room with a load of potentially infected people 3 weeks before her vaccine kicks in didn’t exactly have her jumping at the opportunity. She still did it though
Good for her - and the 1000's of volunteers who are doing exactly the same.
Perhaps they’ve known this was coming for months but I doubt they’ve had the actual time between doing their normal job and also vaccinating people 24/7
Mere days before the vaccine rollout was actually started we were speculating whether the Army were going to do it, Hospitals? GP surgeries? G4S and Serco? Who the **** knows. It would have taken a great lot of foresight for a GP practice manager to start devoting their time to a generating a plan when the government doesn't seem to have one.
Is that why the UK is ahead of nearly every other country in vaccines delivered?
Credit where it's due - we do seem to have decided to purchase a few million doses of a vaccine from anyone who claims to have one. there might be a lot of wasted money in the end but I guess we can then "donate" leftover vaccine to countries not so predatory wealthy
sharkbait - the UK has the highest death rate in the world and as DrPs post makes clear vaccines delivered is not the same as vaccines given - and even then we are not top in the world. Not even close.
Is this still available?
Wrong forum, Mods please move to classifieds 😉
Who is distributing the vaccines DrP?
there’s a group of GPs and practice managers locally who are REALLY doing us all proud!
I speak to a lot of people in the area, all ages, care workers, all sorts. I’ve been hearing nothing but praise about the way this is being rolled out. It cheers me up every time I hear about it
Will you swap a dose for an X Box?
We are quite close TJ
Second behind US in absolute numbers but ahead of them per head of population.
4th Behind Israel, UAE and Bahrain on a per head basis.
Any idea how they’re delivered Dr P – is each vial of vaccine packed with the diluent or do you get a box of vaccine and a box of diluent?
Each box has (IIRC) 75 vials.. each vial does 5 or 6 doses of vaccine.
You have to then add 1.8ml of saline to each vial.. rock it like a baby.. then draw up 5 or 6 doses from each vial.
Once drawn, you've a few hours to give.
DrP
Politics aside, assuming we have vaccines in large enough quantities, it was always going to be a logistical nightmare to get them into peoples arms before they expire.
I belive anyone in posession would be keen to use them up as fast as possible, but as said, especially in the case of a GP surgery, they have thier 'normal day to day' care to deliver as well, and they have to do this on top.
I do wonder if like the mobile/temp testing places, that would be a good vehicle to deliver any surplus, but i'd assume there are lots of regulations etc. to consider.
ANother consideration is do you get a formal certificate/confirmation of some kind that you are vacinated?
Am waiting for a call from my GP- not to get vaccinated, but instead to act as a spare 'on demand' vaccinator when supplies arrive and the practice is needing flexibility over delivering it into peoples' arms. Same with the local health board team, am on call there too. Much lower personal risk than the patient transfer work I was engaged in last year.
Mere days before the vaccine rollout was actually started we were speculating whether the Army were going to do it, Hospitals? GP surgeries? G4S and Serco? Who the **** knows. It would have taken a great lot of foresight for a GP practice manager to start devoting their time to a generating a plan when the government doesn’t seem to have one.
Absolutely.
strobes@private-eye.co.uk
Just saying...
donald
Free Member
We are quite close TJSecond behind US in absolute numbers but ahead of them per head of population.
4th Behind Israel, UAE and Bahrain on a per head basis.
which given that UAE, ISrael and Bharain have their beady eyes on everyone all of the time and realtively small countries, IMHO says we are doing better. The US just has oodles of resources..
well done NHS front line teams - not so much Gov back office..
