Just completing my St John Ambulance application to try and help out….. blimey, it’s very involved!
Fair enough though I guess.
Anybody else done the same – if so what have you been doing, or are you still waiting/training?

Sort of. I work at a CCG & GP Confederation, so my normal hours are paid, but I’m doing 12 hour shifts and the additional I’m not getting paid for.

Doing the admin side + training + planning + IT + reporting. I’m quite busy 🙂

Same as Rob – I work in IT for a CCG supporting 95 GP Practices, so we’ve been working on this for a while, on top of everything else 🙂

I’m useless and unqualified, but have signed up to volunteer to help out where I can via this thing:

https://nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk/i-want-to-volunteer/volunteer-roles/steward-volunteer

I won’t be jabbing anyone, but at least if they need people to stand around and show patients where to go etc then I can help out.

Sideways involved but trying to arrange Community Transport to get those without access to a car or who can’t afford taxis and have mobility issues to vaccination sites.

I’ve volunteered for marshalling at our vaccination hub. MsBeej will be working there (pharmacist) so I figured I could stand in the cold and rain and point as well as anyone.

Yep there are a few of us, see this thread.

I’ve applied as a volunteer vaccinator via St John’s Ambulance. I’ve submitted my application and DBS forms, had a video interview and am mid way through the e-learning package. I haven’t done the face to face training yet.

I am not a medic and have no relevant qualifications bar some first aid experience, though you need 2 A levels or equivalent to apply.

I’ve asked my company if they’ll support people volunteering in work time too, by the way. There’s a fair chance that they will, at least something like a day per month. Might be worth asking, for those who (like me) have a full time job plus kids at home, but hate the idea of the vaccination effort stumbling due to lack of people to staff it!

so I figured I could stand in the cold and rain and point as well as anyone.

I challenge you to do it Invasion of the Body Snatchers style.

I’d love to volunteer, but I’m in one of those groups where they want me vaccinated before allowing me to mingle with the great British public. Hopefully after mid-Feb, if little Matty Hancock is to be believed.

Yes about a month ago but I’ve not been needed yet.

I’ve completed my NHS vaccinator online learning & background checks are very slow.

In parallel I’m doing the SJA vaccinator interview on Tuesday.

Big shout out to everyone helping in the effort. My mum is being assisted by a volunteer group from her church at one of the big vax centres. Really appreciated as we are currently isolating so cannot give her a lift.

I think we are all determined to make this process work despite the shambles from the government. I’m seeing my volunteer role in this lasting years in future rounds of the jab – maybe the annual flu campaign too.

I’ve submitted my application and DBS forms, had a video interview

My interview is tomorrow lunchtime….. Is it just a box ticking exercise or is there anything I should know?

Fairly straightforward, nothing to catch you out. They ask why you want to do the role, then a few questions where you need to provide examples from your own experience of some of the competencies they are looking for. They also explain a bit about the role and the training. All very friendly and relatively informal. You need to give them the ref no for your DBS application during the interview.

Little update… Interview done, SJA online modules done and starting the NHS e-learning tomorrow.
DBS check is basically complete.

Had an email this evening asking if I can push on through with the NHS stuff and do my f2f training this weekend in Liverpool (I’m Chester but training there isn’t for another 2 weeks).
I surmise, from the email contents, that there’s a mass vaccine hub opening in Liverpool very soon and they’d like me, and many others, to help support it!

Pressure is on😬
🎯

Classic nhs bureaucracy. Mrs b has worked for nhs 30yrs+ started as a nurse and now a midwife. She applied to be vaccinator through nhs. They are treating her like Joe blogs off the street. With the stupid questions “why do you want to work for NHS” ” what qualities can you bring to this role” “provide evidence of any professional organisation you are a member of” ete etc.

Must be a better way, such as here’s my employee ref everything you need will be with HR. Sadly no. Lots of her work colleagues started to apply but gave up mid way through application form.

Incredible work people, so good to hear there are volunteers out there. My missus works as a radiographer doing X-rays of all the horrible covid chests and she needs me for taking her mind off it…. if she wasnt working in that capacity then I’d volunteer too.

Once again well done, you’re all heroes!

@sharkbait same. Online training done, booked my face to face training in Shrewsbury, which is my nearest (I’m in Ludlow) in 3 weeks time. Got an email asking me to do training earlier in Birmingham so they could use me in one of the mass vaccination centres, presumably also in Brum. I can’t do this unfortunately so it will be another 3 weeks before I’m up and running. I feel I will have to revise some of the e-learning nearer the time. It all went in and I passed all the the assessments, but not sure how much has lodged in there! Anaphylaxis, CPR etc is all good, NHS legal stuff etc. was hard going!

Interviewed Wednesday.SJA and NHS online modules done and carts printed. Booked in just now for face to face training at Man Utd tomorrow.