Second Lockdown 😥😥😥😥😥😥😥

[Dustydog]

Our local BMI Ridgeway had a one year plus waiting time. They admitted they had no Orthopaedic surgeons. So to Bath. Excellent. All done and dusted in 50 minutes including two consultations with the main man and scans. My left knee is bone on bone. The NHS fund the whole thing as if you are a private patient. The waiting time for my surgery is 2/3 months. That’s pretty good considering we are deep in a major Covid crisis. I cannot fault the NHS Nor BMI on the service I have had today all very Covid safe.

 

[Jcloughie]

Vaccination booked for 26th. 😀😀😀😀

John

 

[Buckman]

Just had ours and totally painless. Asked to wait 10 minutes in waiting room or vehicle before going home. Next one or booster is within 12 weeks.

 

[Beachball]

My current booking at Pool Bank CL Near Bramhope Yorshire for mid March will no doubt be postponed for the fourth time 😢😢😢

Hi Dusty that site looks interesting i have written it down in our diary for next season

 

[Hutch]

Today at 14.00😀👍

 

[Dustydog]

Looks like lockdown will continue until at least 8th March. Let’s hope we ALL get vaccinated before then. Postponing Yorkshire trip again, but hey ho, always another day.

 

[Hutch]

Just thinking, most of us on the forum , have had our vans for quite some time, think of those folk who have spent several thousand of pounds thinking they will get away for cheap holidays, then last year lockdown. It will be sometime before I get out again, at least we know about cl /cs sites.

 

[Beachball]

Stretch our resources brought van in 2019 with possibilities and knew a good caravan engineer who services them

 

[otherclive]

Just thinking, most of us on the forum , have had our vans for quite some time, think of those folk who have spent several thousand of pounds thinking they will get away for cheap holidays, then last year lockdown. It will be sometime before I get out again, at least we know about cl /cs sites.

Yes and there’s the fixed costs associated with the van just standing around. Storage, insurance, service, depreciation, club membership and bigger car than may normally be required. Hopefully everyone can start to look forward to getting out on tour in Spring.

 

[Dustydog]

I started this thread, Ok No Politics!
The EU have shown their true colours. Abused Astra Zeneca vaccine as no good fo over 65s, yet they want millions. It’s taken their monster bureaucracy until this week to approve a vaccine the U.K. did three months ago. Worst of all the tried to disrupt The Belfast Agreement. Thank goodness we are
out of the EU!🤪👍👍👍
My apologies to those who love Europe but the latest actions are pretty poor.

 

[otherclive]

I started this thread, Ok No Politics!
The EU have shown their true colours. Abused Astra Zeneca vaccine as no good fo over 65s, yet they want millions. It’s taken their monster bureaucracy until this week to approve a vaccine the U.K. did three months ago. Worst of all the tried to disrupt The Belfast Agreement. Thank goodness we are
out of the EU!🤪👍👍👍
My apologies to those who love Europe but the latest actions are pretty poor.

With putting something like “ best endeavour “ into the contracts for vaccines it would be difficult to get any court judgement in their favour. Terrible thing is the President and Health Commissioner both denied it was on the AZ contract. There it is in black and white.

 

[otherclive]

Hope the current issues don’t stop second doses of Pfizer jab, as it would be uncharted waters if jab 1 were Pfizer and jab 2 had to be AZ, or one of the other approved ones.
We had ours today with 18 hours notice but the booking worked and it was a very smooth affair at a local GP practice. Jab 2 should be one week before we head off to Yorkshire. (Ducking now) 😷😷👍

 

[JezzerB]

Well said Dustydog. Shows them up on their true light and all the brexit shenanigans, well it does look like them being guilty now even if you didn't think that. So glad we are out but daren't say that to those of my friends who are remainders or were! Just hope the rest of the world take note.

 

[Beachball]

Next door neighbour had hers today she is 79 she only had two hours notice but her husband has not because he a bit younger but she ask about me i am on the vulnerable list still waiting to hear

 

[Damian]

Whilst I fully appreciate the hard work going into the vaccination programme, I am somewhat bemused by the NHS Covid Vaccination appointment system.

I had a letter today telling me to book my appointments now for the first and second doses, which is fine, until I go to the website to register.

Enter my details and click on find vaccination centre, remember I live on the Isle of Wight, and what do Iget?
nearest Portsmouth, or Southampton, Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole.

This is totally ridiculous as it would entail an expensive return ferry trip, plus however long to drive to whichever centre, and having to leave my vehicle whilst on the ferry and mix with all the other travellers in a closed lounge for either 40 minutes or an hour depending on which ferry I caught.

I know that there are GP practices doing the vaccinations here on the Island, my own practice being one of them, and they are about to open a central hub in Newport.

I will have to contact my GP practice on Monday to find out how to proceed, but even that is not easy trying to get past the reception people who want to know all your medical history (which they have no right to do) before they decide whether or not they will put you through !!!!!

 

[otherclive]

Whilst I fully appreciate the hard work going into the vaccination programme, I am somewhat bemused by the NHS Covid Vaccination appointment system.

I had a letter today telling me to book my appointments now for the first and second doses, which is fine, until I go to the website to register.

Enter my details and click on find vaccination centre, remember I live on the Isle of Wight, and what do Iget?
nearest Portsmouth, or Southampton, Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole.

This is totally ridiculous as it would entail an expensive return ferry trip, plus however long to drive to whichever centre, and having to leave my vehicle whilst on the ferry and mix with all the other travellers in a closed lounge for either 40 minutes or an hour depending on which ferry I caught.

I know that there are GP practices doing the vaccinations here on the Island, my own practice being one of them, and they are about to open a central hub in Newport.

I will have to contact my GP practice on Monday to find out how to proceed, but even that is not easy trying to get past the reception people who want to know all your medical history (which they have no right to do) before they decide whether or not they will put you through !!!!!

People I know have declined an invite to Bristol hub and have been contacted by their local GP commissioning vaccination center for a more local appointment. Took up to a week extra. Ours just came yesterday by message, click the link, add DOB, and up came a number of appointments for today. We got sequential ones. No letters or anything. Different areas seem to do it differently. My BIL got a letter last Wednesday asking him to book at a Coventry vaccination center or a Birmingham hub. He gets his locally tomorrow at 1042, snow permitting.

 

[Buckman]

I will have to contact my GP practice on Monday to find out how to proceed, but even that is not easy trying to get past the reception people who want to know all your medical history (which they have no right to do) before they decide whether or not they will put you through !!!!!

Since our surgery moved across to the telephone consultation, I have also found the reception staff to be a little too inquisitive when asking about the issue you may have. They are not medically qualified and should not be asking some of the more personal questions.
Their excuse is that they are trying to screen the appointments. Either way you cannot book a face to face with GP as only the GP will authorise the face to face if the GP decides it is warranted so what is the point of the reception staff screening you?
The sad part is that no Data Protection Act protects you in those circumstances!

 

[Dustydog]

Things are changing rapidly in my neck of the woods. Three weeks ago you had to travel 10 miles to Malmesbury. Yesterday they were sending us to Bishops Cleeve north of Cheltenham about an hours drive each way. This coming Saturday a friend is getting his done at our local surgery. Rapid improvement and availability appears to be the ongoing case.

 

[otherclive]

Things are changing rapidly in my neck of the woods. Three weeks ago you had to travel 10 miles to Malmesbury. Yesterday they were sending us to Bishops Cleeve north of Cheltenham about an hours drive each way. This coming Saturday a friend is getting his done at our local surgery. Rapid improvement and availability appears to be the ongoing case.

Yes nearly half a million yesterday. The 15 m target by mid February is on track. Good news is always welcome.

 

[Guzzilazz]

With putting something like “ best endeavour “ into the contracts for vaccines it would be difficult to get any court judgement in their favour. Terrible thing is the President and Health Commissioner both denied it was on the AZ contract. There it is in black and white.

In my experience with large public sector, the phrase that's considered sensible under English Law is "Reasonable Endeavours"... It used to be "Best Endeavours", so "Reasonable Best Endeavours" is a new one, and it does depend on the legal regime under which the contract is drawn up. I don't believe there's an "EU" legal regime so it must be written under the legal framework of one of the member countries.

 

[otherclive]

In my experience with large public sector, the phrase that's considered sensible under English Law is "Reasonable Endeavours"... It used to be "Best Endeavours", so "Reasonable Best Endeavours" is a new one, and it does depend on the legal regime under which the contract is drawn up. I don't believe there's an "EU" legal regime so it must be written under the legal framework of one of the member countries.

The actual wording is likely to be “ Reasonable best efforts” if it mirrors one of their other vaccine procurement contracts. The applicable law governing the contract is Belgian as shown in the 67 page contract for vaccine shown in the link. Makes sense as the EC is in Belgium. Either way irrespective of the precise definition used it would be a lawyers Christmas bonus to try and lead a judgement with that concept.


https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/curevac_-_redacted_advance_purchase_agreement_0.pdf

 

[otherclive]

Since our surgery moved across to the telephone consultation, I have also found the reception staff to be a little too inquisitive when asking about the issue you may have. They are not medically qualified and should not be asking some of the more personal questions.
Their excuse is that they are trying to screen the appointments. Either way you cannot book a face to face with GP as only the GP will authorise the face to face if the GP decides it is warranted so what is the point of the reception staff screening you?
The sad part is that no Data Protection Act protects you in those circumstances!

Our previous surgery turned to initial GP telephone consultation about five years ago, and when we moved to our present one nearly two years ago they had the system in place. Both though were at pains to explain why reception ask specific questions, but also to tell you that you don’t need to answer them. The practice have GPs who as well as their normal GP role have certain specialist roles too IE cardiology, vascular, diabetic etc. So answering the fairly simple questions can route you to the right doctor. Then you get a quicker telephone appointment, where the doctor that you talk to can decide whether to have a face to face session.

Earlier last year my wife had a nagging pain in her calf some time after flying back from Borneo. She rang and later that day she was seeing a Advanced Nurse Practitioner who didn’t think it was a DVT but for caution sent her to the regional hospital for a scan. The results were negative but the system worked for her. After having lady GPs now for a very long time answering a few simple questions doesn’t faze me, particularly if it gets me dealt with more quickly and effectively.

 

[Buckman]

Our previous surgery turned to initial GP telephone consultation about five years ago, and when we moved to our present one nearly two years ago they had the system in place. Both though were at pains to explain why reception ask specific questions, but also to tell you that you don’t need to answer them. The practice have GPs who as well as their normal GP role have certain specialist roles too IE cardiology, vascular, diabetic etc. So answering the fairly simple questions can route you to the right doctor. Then you get a quicker telephone appointment, where the doctor that you talk to can decide whether to have a face to face session.

Agree, but sometimes it is difficult to answer some questions without telling them your actual medical issue. I should have also mentioned that it seems someone complained as the last time I phoned, the questions were not too indepth.

 

[ProfJohnL]

The sad part is that no Data Protection Act protects you in those circumstances!

Oh yes it does,

Your personal medical details can only be disclosed to those who are approved and need to know.

Every member of a surgeries team has to comply with the practices data protection protocols which have to be approved by the NHS. Such matters will be very carefully considered before being implemented within the legal requirements for patient confidentiality and data protection.

Breaches of patient confidentiality will be taken very seriously and might be an dismissible event.

I know that our surgery record all telephone conversations, reasons, I would assume that most if not all surgeries now do this for medicolegal and if any one has reason to question the way a phone call proceeded the practice can recall the audio file to review the actual content. This protects both patients and practice staff as it eliminates any doubt about who and what was said.

If you are unhappy with the surgeries triaging process, you can of course complain through the practices complaints procedures.

Just a bit more information, Many surgeries have reduced numbers of staff available sometimes due to staff being seconded to help elsewhere and of course some staff may have become victims of C19 so generally there are fewer staff manning surgeries, and they have to spread the load by triaging. This allows patients to be directed to the most appropriate health care professional.

 

[Buckman]

Oh yes it does,

Your personal medical details can only be disclosed to those who are approved and need to know.

Every member of a surgeries team has to comply with the practices data protection protocols which have to be approved by the NHS. Such matters will be very carefully considered before being implemented within the legal requirements for patient confidentiality and data protection.

Breaches of patient confidentiality will be taken very seriously and might be an dismissible event.

I know that our surgery record all telephone conversations, reasons, I would assume that most if not all surgeries now do this for medicolegal and if any one has reason to question the way a phone call proceeded the practice can recall the audio file to review the actual content. This protects both patients and practice staff as it eliminates any doubt about who and what was said.

If you are unhappy with the surgeries triaging process, you can of course complain through the practices complaints procedures.

Just a bit more information, Many surgeries have reduced numbers of staff available sometimes due to staff being seconded to help elsewhere and of course some staff may have become victims of C19 so generally there are fewer staff manning surgeries, and they have to spread the load by triaging. This allows patients to be directed to the most appropriate health care professional.

However they are asking the questions and if you give them the answers regarding your medical condition how would the Data protection Act work? You volunteered the answers.