Covid Vaccination- Sydenham Green Group Practice

[Howard Staunton]

Had a letter a week ago from the Sydenham Green Group Surgery asking me to call and book an appointment for my Covid Vaccination. I must have called the number they gave a hundred times. It just rings a few times then a recorded message tells me the mailbox I am calling is currently full.

Anybody else had this issue? Is it just a case of try and try again?

Thanks.

Howard (Covid-Free for the moment)

[Parker1970]

I got a text message with a link to click and book online. Had it done yesterday.

I think you will find you can also book by calling 119 or book online:-
https://www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination

[Howard Staunton]

Thanks.

Think they may have an old mobile number for me. Luckily I have never had reason before to use the Practice.

I will try the online route.

Howard

[Howard Staunton]

Booked

[Parker1970]

Good to hear!

[coll]

My partner got a notification that he had to go to St.Thomas' for his jab. I had mine at Sydenham Green. I called many many times on his behalf. When I finally did get through I was snapped at by the person. I've had dealings with this person before so I am not surprised by the harshness. I was told that if he wanted his jab there, we had to keep trying and 'maybe sometime by mid-week' there would be appointments.

I had registered myself to the Vale last year- having dealt with Sydenham Green becoming increasingly difficult to engage with over the course of 15 years. Such a different level of engagement. For my jab I was sent a text where I simply selected my time and date and turned up on the day - no issues, no hassle. How could two surgeries so close to each other have such different procedures?
I went though the link provided on this thread and was able to book both his jabs at Crystal Palace without any problem.

[simon]

Hi Coll, I'm sorry to hear of your experience with Sydenham Green, but my experience with them was the same as yours with the Vale; sent a text and selected my appointment time and date. I later got a notification from St Thomas's, which I ignored.
Generally, my experience of Sydenham Green over the years has been very good. They went above and beyond what they had to do when my late wife was terminally ill and have been most helpful ever since.

[Pally]

My experience with Sydenha. Geen was positive and efficient. A text telling me to make an appt. with a link. Several spots available, booked one, went down, good systems in place, friendly staff and volunteers. I was really impressed

[sydenhamgardener2]

Does anyone know if the under 50s are being vaccinated yet by Sydenham Green? It seems to be a bit hit and miss across London at the moment.

[Parker1970]

Does anyone know if the under 50s are being vaccinated yet by Sydenham Green? It seems to be a bit hit and miss across London at the moment.

I would imagine it would be soon. I am 51 but was invited when the mass target group was 55-60 so I think they are ahead of schedule.

[HappySyd]

Does anyone know if the under 50s are being vaccinated yet by Sydenham Green? It seems to be a bit hit and miss across London at the moment.

Yes they are. My other half has an appointment on Tuesday afternoon.

[KPR]

If the under 50s are getting jabbed then it’s under the table - there’s no government permission to do this yet, so Sydenham Green are skating on thin ice. I am in the next cohort (delayed to May according to official announcements) and if rumours of queue jumping by much younger people armed with a link that’s being circulated are true then I am not impressed with Sydenham Green’s approach.

[JGD]

I do not believe the situation is as cut and dried that the practice can be considered to be on thin ice.

We are in the 65+ cohort and we collectively receive 6 invites for appointments through different channels. These were issued at least 10 days before it was publicly announced that jabs for the 65+ group had officially started. I got no sense that the four channels that issued invitations to us behaved incorrectly or considered there was any risk to them.

As another example I have heard reports that the Jenner centre suspended jabs last week for at least two days - allegedly because of supplies issues.

I think it more likely that most issues - delays or advanced starts for age groups - are down to the variability and short term irregularities in supply of vaccines. So where a practice has availability, it continues to vaccinate (including lower age cohorts when required) and if supplies are not available, it pauses.

The most consistent thing that emerges is that everyone is anxious to assure us that no jabs are wasted.

Let's hope supply issues are resolved quickly and even out - and Stuart, good news on your second vaccination front. It is to be hoped that the July target for the entire populace to have received both vaccinations is met.

[KPR]

I get what you’re saying re: not wasting doses but no one (at least officially) should be inviting under 50s for jabs unless they have underlying health conditions - government has been pretty clear that there will be a national slowdown in April because of supply issues. Doses can only be wasted once they’re thawed out (Pfizer) or approaching their use by date - which means using a few spares at the end of the day, not moving down the cohorts because you have more vaccine than you can use (this should be moved to places which haven’t yet done the over 50s). The risk of just cracking on regardless is that they suddenly find themselves short (either locally or nationally) when people come for second doses in April.

It is widely rumoured that links to book Sydenham appointments have been shared with those whose place in the queue would otherwise be months away and that these people are able to book appointments. This may be nonsense, but if it’s true then it is unfair - these people may think themselves very clever for bilking the system, but Sydenham Green should be turning them away and telling them to wait their turn, and if they claim to be key workers they should produce ID (and be genuine key workers, not the kind of ‘key worker’ that booked school places for their kids because they have a massive sense of entitlement).

[stuart]

The links I received for dose 1 and dose 2 from Syd Green were not shareable but unique. You enter your DoB and then it tells you who you are.

Do you have source for this shareable links story? If not then is it the right thing to share it without verification?

Stuart

[KPR]

You mean you click the link and it tells you who you are, or you enter your DoB and it then comes up with your name? If the latter then it doesn’t seem like the link is unique - and does Sydenham Green have the tech to generate unique links for all eligible patients?

I have it first hand from someone who has got a link from someone else and then an appointment - someone in their 30s with no underlying conditions. Could be that when this person goes to the appointment they will be told to get lost, but if not then I think this is a problem.

Government today has said very clearly that April is for second doses so if Sydenham Green is handing out first doses to ineligible patients (under 50s, no underlying conditions) then they are off piste.

[Ghlpc]

Its not just Sydenham Green KPR, there's loads more of this happening.

I'm aware of many people who have tried their luck at links forwarded and have been successful all over London at various practices.

The reason why or how I'm unsure, but at this stage with the high level of vaccines this country has administered and continuing to do so - this doesn't unduly worry me.

[KPR]

No, I get what you’re saying in the sense of ‘who cares if they jump the queue a bit - they’d get it anyway’ but there is surely a risk that if these people don’t get turned away then when the crunch arrives next month then those who were expecting second doses will find themselves with cancelled appointments or being sent further away? Maybe someone is doing the maths on all this, but I have my doubts.

On a separate note, stats I just saw in the media show Lewisham has given first jabs to 65% of 50-60 year olds and about 85% of 60+, so under 50s shouldn’t be getting theirs yet.

[alywin]

It looks as though I may have to take someone who's chronically ill and won't be able to queue for any length of time for a second jab at Sydenham Green (the first was a home jab). I wondered if anyone could update me on what the situation's been like down there, in terms of queuing time, busyness, and so on - in fact, how the whole thing works. I think we'll need to use a wheelchair, at the very least.

[stuart]

I can only speak for my two visits.

The first @5:20pm on the day was walk in, no queue, and straight into the booth without stopping. The second (which would have been with the same cohort of people) was a long queue - most outside and about 20/30 mins wait. This was a morning appointment and the problem appeared to be, like many of us more mature people, the habit of turning up early for appointments rather than a hiccup doing the jabs. Hence there were people in front of me booked for 30 minutes later. A brave marshall might have kept them back to let us go through on time. But they didn't.

On the basis of this - if you have a late appointment - then you may be OK. If an early and this happens again then I would politely ask the marshalls to go ahead of anybody with a later appointment. I'm sure seeing a wheelchair sense will prevail.

Good Luck,
Stuart