Home visits for covid vaccinations

Specific disabilities and conditions
1

Hi

I don’t often come on here, not much time to, but when I do its usually because I feel the need to rant, get something off my chest or I’m really worried about something, or to ask for answers from people who might be going through the same/similar thing.

My Sister’s usual response is ‘well you are the primary carer, ring them up’.
Friends get fed up of hearing the same thing and I don’t think anyone understands until/unless they have been/are a Carer.

Mother was in Hospital when the very first Vaccine in the World was given out last year. Right age, wrong Hospital.
Hospital told me they had no Vaccine. Mother sent home a few days later.

Right away I asked GP Surgery when she might be getting a Vaccine, they didn’t know & they had none.
I’ve done this regularly ever since, same response each time.

We had a letter from NHS England, I couldn’t get through on the phone, tried online and was expected to get a housebound 92 year old to a Centre at least 20 miles away.

3 or 4 weeks ago in a local paper the local MP asked for detail of any over 80’s who had still not had the Vaccine.
I contacted him with Mother’s details.
The response was a phone number of a different Primary Care Network that she belongs to and was told to try ringing them.
I did do, constantly engaged, gave up as not the PCN Mother belongs to.

Asked the Surgery again last week, the usual response, she is on a list for a home visit, we don’t know when it will be.

Sunday I hear on the radio that GP’s will get a £10 bonus for each home visit to do a Vaccine - I begin to think there might be a bit of hope…

Imagine my excitement when the phone rang yesterday (I thought it might be the Surgery to tell me they were coming to do her 1st Vaccine - plus mine too as I’m registered with them as her Carer, ha ha).
My excitement was shortlived - it turned out to be the Window cleaners.

Yesterday on a TV Briefing I hear Matt Hancock telling people the onus is now on them to call 119 if they have still not had a Vaccine yet.

I will be trying this later, but my guess is that it means people who can travel to a Vaccination Centre.

WHEN are the Government going to take any/more notice of what unpaid family carers go through mentally, emotionally and physically and financially??
They say they won’t pay them more like a ‘minimum wage’ because they take on the role voluntarily, but how is it voluntarily when we are told by Social Services, Community Nurses et al, ‘we don’t have capacity’ - its like we have no choice but to do things or they will just not get done.

I know I am extremely lucky compared to very many of the Carers that post on here - I often think my problems are small and insignificant and what am I complaining about when I read some of the things people post on here. But sometimes I just need to get it off my chest.

I feel for ALL Carers out there, with what you have to deal with on a daily basis, day and night, often way more than I have to deal with.

Sorry, I tried to keep this short, but I’m prone to waffling.

2

Hi Pauline.
Sorry to hear about your troubles. I had the same problem with my dad a few weeks ago. He was offered the jab on Dec 13th but couldn’t get there. They didn’t tell him it was then or nothing. Eventually he had his jab on January 22nd but only because they moved the vaccination site nearer. I spoke to the GP, MP, local paper and BBC News for weeks. Finally the GP said they weren’t doing housebound even though on TV they were making out that they were. I can’t lift dad into a wheelchair easily anymore or get him in a car but we decided that going in the wheelchair to the vaccination centre was our only chance. On the way back he fell out of the chair trying to get over the threshold of the front door but at least it was done.
A few days later the GP did start housebound jabs. Grrr! I too was annoyed when I saw the news about drs being paid extra to make housebound visits.
Keep ‘ranting’! I’ve found out that it’s the only way to get anything done. Keep on to your GP. Your mum should definately have been vaccinated at home by now. This sounds like they’ve missed her out. Good luck!

3

Hi Pauline,

My Mum has only just had hers done at home. She has become housebound due to the pandemic. It is very frustrating having to fight for everything and it takes up so much time. I hope she gets her jab soon, you could always contact the local paper.

Never apologise for ranting. It’s like you say, only carers get what caring is really like.

Melly1

4

Hi Carol and Melly

I spoke to the Surgery again this morning.
The Receptionist told me she was as frustrated as I was because they were getting a lot of calls asking about home visits for vaccine, but they had nothing they could tell people because they didn’t know what was happening themselves!

She said all they knew was that they (the Surgery) wouldn’t be doing it, somebody else would, and we would be contacted if Mother had had a Flu Jab at home. She did last October.

It seems things are happening differently in different areas.

5

Hi Pauline.
The same happened at my surgery initially. The receptionist practically laughed and said we don’t know how it’s going to work. It was the same when I asked about my jab as dad’s carer. The receptionist told me that she hadn’t heard that we were now in Group 6 and didn’t know how to check if I was registered as dad’s carer.
In the end I asked for the contact details of the Practice Manager and asked her to clarify the situation.
Please don’t take no for an answer. According to the TV news all over 80s are on track to have been vaccinated by this week and supposedly all of Groups 3 and 4 should have been done too. That was the government’s target.
I live in West Sussex. After contacting my MP I did get a few phone calls from his office to check if dad had been vaccinated yet. I thought getting dad in the local paper would help but it actually was just more upsetting as the response seemed to be that housebound means you are lazy and can’t be bothered to go out and get your vaccination and that you are safe if you are at home and don’t go out. The worry for us was the numerous Community Nurses coming in and out and possibly bringing infection from another one of their patients.
You are right when you say that people don’t understand about being a carer until they actually have to do it.
Keep demanding that your mum get’s her vaccine now.
Keep safe.

6

Hi Carol

We live in the Midlands.
Would you believe I had a phone call last night, just as I sat down to eat, from the Surgery asking if Mother ‘still wanted her Vaccine’?

Much to my amazement, I was told that someone would be coming ‘in the next few weeks’ to do it.
I asked again if I would be able to get mine at the same time and of course the lady couldn’t tell me and said ‘you’ll have to ask them when they come out’.

I’m sorry you had that kind of response from the Newspaper - something you don’t need on top of all the anxiety around at the moment. Its true, you are not safe just because you are housebound. We have 3 visits from 2 Carers coming in daily, (sometimes its the same people, but not always) and I have to go out to Food Shop, pay some bills etc, so I too have been worried about what they or I might bring back unintentionally.

Take care, keep warm!!

7

Hi Pauline.
Thanks for your kind words. I still think your mum is waiting too long. All over 70s and people who are clinically extremely vulnerable should be vaccinated by the 15th of Feb according to the govt. I would contact your MP again as they would probably arrange for it to be done today even if it’s just as a PR opportunity for them.
Good luck!

8

Hi Carol

I’ve had yet another phone call this afternoon to say that Mother will be getting her 1st Covid jab TOMORROW morning…!!

Take care.

9

Good news!
Well done for getting on the case.
Thanks for the update. Dad and I were talking about you and this issue today and hoped you would feed back when your mum got her jab.
Keep safe…and warm!

10

Hi
Bit of a mixed morning I’m afraid…
Dr came, in a nutshell, she put Mother on Antibiotics for a suspected Infection (or it may be Low Sodium or both), but she did do my 1st Jab when I asked about it.
When I asked when Mother would get another chance, she said she didn’t know as it depended when they got more Vaccine.
Aaaaaaaagh!
Thanks for listening.