Covid Vaccine - Third Booster Jab

[JGD]

Off for my booster this morning (Wed).

Linda had not received her invite so contacted our surgery who in turn advised her that Touchwood in Sydenham is dispensing booster jabs.

Spoke to Touchwood and apparently there are appointment and walk-in options available at weekends and they conduct the sessions at OLSPN all--day Saturday and half-day Sunday.

Worth contacting Touchwood if you want to move forward without waiting for an invitation to be sent to you.

[stuart]

Sydenham Green appears to have entered a silent zone. We still have not heard anything from them about our boosters. Hence we went to Guy's last week (simply enter any SE1 postcode in the NHS booking system if you are eligible and prefer Thomas' or Guys). This is bad considering the low take up of boosters so far is putting the winter season in peril.

Yesterday I had my flu jab from a local pharmacy. I have always had them at Syd Green in the past but still - silence. I mentioned this to the pharmacist who said that she had just done an elderly vulnerable lady who had rung Syd Green (and got through) to be told their clinics had been done and finished. Easy if they don't tell their patients!

Sydenham Green used to be a outstanding practice when we came to Sydenham and we are personally very grateful for stuff they picked up in the past. I do understand the pressures they are under but I hope they will want to regain their former glory. Failing on both boosters and flu is not good for the health of Sydenham and Lewisham A+E as the cold creeps in.

Stuart

[alywin]

My GP surgery in Anerley told me there had been delays in delivery of supplies of the "younger" flu jab, and booked me in for an appointment for when they do get some: DECEMBER!

[Rachael]

What counts as the ‘younger’ flu jab?

I got mine as a walk-in at Touchwood (opposite the Greyhound) on Thursday after Lloyds in the Bell Green Sainsburys screwed up my appointment twice. I’m 53.

We got our first set of Covid vaccines at Sydenham Green although we’re not patients there. We got texts from our own GP with a booking link. Hopefully that system is still working by the time we’re eligible for our boosters, but I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on it when the time comes.

[GFA]

I spoke to Sydenham Green earlier this week about a flu jab. I was told that at the moment they're only had the vaccine for and are vaccinating, the over 65s - they're dealing with everyone else in November - although they don't seem to have an idea roughly when in November that will be!

[Clovers]

WRT flu jabs, you can book online at Boots (If you're OK with paying for the flu jab).

[Rachael]

WRT flu jabs, you can book online at Boots (If you're OK with paying for the flu jab).

First appointments with Boots for free over 50s shots are late November. Online they aren't showing any appointments for under 50s locally (I checked as far as Bromley). Both me (in my 50s, free) and our lodger (in her 30s, paid) got ours as walk-ins at Touchwood on Thursday so if people can't get them from the GP I'd recommend trying there.

[angela53]

If you are registered at Wells Park practice and had your booster at Sydenham Green, it may be worth checking that the booster has been recorded on your Wells Park medical record. My husband and I had our boosters on the 7th October however neither were added to our medical record under immunisations. It was only when my husband received a letter from the NHS telling him that he had not yet had his booster, that we discovered the ommision.

[Parker1970]

I've booked my booster but Sydenham Green (Where I had my first two jabs) was not an option (I'm also with Wells Park). So it's at Our Lady & St Philip Neris school instead on a Saturday.

[Rachael]

I've booked my booster but Sydenham Green (Where I had my first two jabs) was not an option (I'm also with Wells Park). So it's at Our Lady & St Philip Neris school instead on a Saturday.

Last time round, where you were offered depended on how you booked. Sydenham Green was never an option on the NHS central booking site. We booked there via an invitation link sent by our GP.

[Parker1970]

I've booked my booster but Sydenham Green (Where I had my first two jabs) was not an option (I'm also with Wells Park). So it's at Our Lady & St Philip Neris school instead on a Saturday.

Last time round, where you were offered depended on how you booked. Sydenham Green was never an option on the NHS central booking site. We booked there via an invitation link sent by our GP.

That makes sense, my first two bookings were indeed done from a link the GP sent. I didn't want to wait this time and wanted to get booked in as soon as possible so I used the site. Thanks for clarifying Rachel!

[stuart]

Yesterday both my partner and I received letters from the NHS reminding us to have our booster shots as our records show we hadn't - and to expect more texts and phone calls to encourage us.

Very good effort - except we both had them more than a month ago - at Guys. Which makes one suspicious of the published vaccination numbers. We also had texts from SydGreen last week inviting us for the flu jab. Again we had them a month ago. Oh, dear!

Stuart

[Sydenham]

There is little transparency on the selection criteria for the emails and texts one receives as reminders for vaccinations. Also probably little training (or supervisoon / monitoring) of health care professionals as to the importance of recording vaccinations in the appropriate place in one's health records. After having my flu jab I kept receiving reminder emails about this. I checked my record and found that my flu vaccination had been recorded with some blood tests so no wonder I kept on receiving reminders. I asked my GP for it to be corrected and the vaccination recorded in what I thought was a more appropriate / rational place.

My partner's second Covid vaccination was similarly incorrectly recorded in her medical records with the consequence that her Covid passport showed her as not having a second jab..

The effort to maintain correctly the data in one's medical records should not be under estimated - especially as it is used by so many different groups (both within and outside the GP Practice - but don't get me started on confidentiality/GDPR/external access). I doubt there is little management checking to ensure that correct and consistent processes are applied.

Other industries have the same problem - one multi national delivery firm I once worked for considered correct data entry so important that if a delivery person was found to have gone against procedure three times then it was considered serious misconduct and possibly a sackable offence. Their business depended on getting it right at the point of data entry.

[alywin]

Last time round, where you were offered depended on how you booked. Sydenham Green was never an option on the NHS central booking site. We booked there via an invitation link sent by our GP.

The implication in the letter I received the other day was, I thought, that GP surgeries weren't included on the option for booking via the NHS website.

I had my flu jab the other day at the pharmacist's, because there was still no indication of my surgery being able to get hold of any of that vaccine until December

[Chris Best]

I have received both my booster jab and flu vaccine at Sydenham Green - both super smooth and yesterday’s flu jab was a total of 5 minutes - walk in, collect paperwork on sign in, hand over paperwork with checks before jab, walk out. I booked the flu appointment at the surgery when I received the text - and it was at the same time when receiving the booster jab that I had booked online using the NHS app.

Sydenham Green is the lead surgery for the area taking in Wells Park and Perry Vale and for carrying out the vaccinations.

Important message is book when called and ensure no-one is left behind - make sure your GP surgery has your phone details for text messages.

[CATLADY]

You can also book a Boots flu jab free if over 50 - look online at Boots.com
Also had my booster this week at Sydenham Green. Very well-organised again - thanks

[alywin]

According to a Lewisham GP, the pharmacies are doing Moderna and the surgeries/health centres Pfizer. I was surprised that it was that clear-cut.

[syd]

Afternoon all,

So I got my third jab last month it was pfizer and my lymph nodes were swollen for a few weeks so I couldn't get my flu jab. Now due to the insane covid numbers in Sydenham Ive put it off. The gov dashboard states 124% 2k to 4k increase in cases in 7 days.

Has anyone noticed any increases or is this number overstated?

[stuart]

Yes. I'm getting reports of local positive cases which supports this.

As for flu - if folks follow Chris Witty's advice rather than Boris then the greater social distancing will be even more effective in stopping flu than mitigating Omicron.

I had my flu jab at Kirkdale Touchwood back in October. It was both quiet and efficient. If you can find a pharmacy that is doing flu but not covid it should be low risk. As, I predict, the liklihood of a serious flu outbreak this winter.

Stuart

[alywin]

Went for a booster at Sydenham Green yesterday - appointments only - so efficient that we barely saw anyone else there the whole time. In - get jabbed - out - and that's it. No waiting around for 15 minutes, or anything, unless you feel so inclined.