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Boots the chemist doing free flu jabs

(38 Posts)
12Michael Sat 03-Oct-15 08:54:32

I went and picked up a prescription last Thursday ,and was offered a free flu jab in Boots , all they form filling wanted was NHS number and DoB.
Its a free walk in service saves booking up at a surgery.
Mick

Teetime Sat 03-Oct-15 08:56:38

I tried that too and they wanted me to make an appointment! The shop was empty and they could have done it there and then. So I went to the surgery as usual.

Teetime Sat 03-Oct-15 08:57:18

Oh and Lloyds are doing it too - no appointment needed I'm told.

Luckygirl Sat 03-Oct-15 09:47:40

Off to the village hall for the jab this morning - the surgery hires it for the morning and we all queue up.

jinglbellsfrocks Sat 03-Oct-15 10:22:22

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Our surgery only does the jabs on a Saturday morning and DH is very reluctant to cut short time spent flying his little aeroplanes. So now he has the choice of Lloyds or Boots. smile

whitewave Sat 03-Oct-15 10:25:10

Ours is due on 31st October -nothing available until then, but we are sticking with it as DH is to have shingles jab as well

ninathenana Sat 03-Oct-15 12:14:25

The nurse at our surgery has got flu jab clinic down to a fine art. Big notice asking you to remove your outer garments and roll up your sleeve. A special waiting area for the clinic. You are given an appointment and you are in and out in minutes. Brilliant ! And she does it three mornings a week.

tanith Sat 03-Oct-15 12:47:14

Everytime I've seen my GP for BP checks lately he's got the Flu jab sitting on his desk waiting to grab you . I've declined he was a bit miffed when I declined again this week.. my choice though.

rosesarered Sat 03-Oct-15 14:58:07

DH just had his done ( at Sat surgery by a nurse.) So far have resisted having one done myself, not sure why.

annsixty Sat 03-Oct-15 15:09:01

We turned up this morning for ours,by appointment, and the queue was 3 deep and out of the door, round 2 sides of the building , across the entrance to a small lane and just past the end of a road. I just brought DH home un jabbed and will go the surgery next week. The most ominous sign was the ambulance outside, someone had collapsed.

rosesarered Sat 03-Oct-15 15:17:30

Ann! Why was there such a queue? DH just strolled into our clinic and mins later strolled out again.

Elegran Sat 03-Oct-15 15:36:33

Probably because someone thought it "efficient" to give a whole lot of appointments at the same time.

annsixty Sat 03-Oct-15 16:07:11

That was exactly it. Dozens all with the same appointment time.

durhamjen Sat 03-Oct-15 16:18:07

I wonder how much Boots and other chemists are paid by the NHS to do these "free" flu vaccinations.
Had to go for a blood test last week and was given one as well, despite all the leaflets all over about making an appointment.

Lona Sat 03-Oct-15 16:20:12

I went this lunchtime, staggered appointments but there's usually a long fast moving queue. This time there was no one there and I was in and out in about a minute. Apparently hardly anyone had turned up!

jinglbellsfrocks Sat 03-Oct-15 16:49:29

Well I would think they would be paid for it. I would think it's another way of easing the burden of TP practices. What's wrong with that?

NanKate Sat 03-Oct-15 16:49:39

I'm booked in at Boots for my jab next Tuesday as I don't want to go to our Doctors first thing in the morning. It's still a freebie. smile

Indinana Sat 03-Oct-15 16:52:54

Great news! Our surgery are doing them next Saturday morning on a 'turn up and queue' basis and DH plays golf on Saturday mornings. He'll be able to go to Boots or Lloyds instead smile

Indinana Sat 03-Oct-15 16:53:25

Our surgery is, not are blush

jinglbellsfrocks Sat 03-Oct-15 16:55:05

'GP' btw

durhamjen Sat 03-Oct-15 16:55:06

Of course they are paid for. I said I wondered how much.
How does it compare with the NHS GPs being paid?

Ana Sat 03-Oct-15 16:57:30

GPs don't usually give the jabs in our surgery, it's the nurse.

Ana Sat 03-Oct-15 16:59:45

I'm sure a lot of GPs would rather hand over responsibility for yearly jabs to an outside source - one less thing for them and/r their staff to have to deal with.

annodomini Sat 03-Oct-15 17:23:52

Here the jabs are done on two autumn Saturdays - a fortnight and a week ago respectively. There's a team of practice nurses and a health care assisant who give the jabs and keep records, working in pairs. They use three or four of the consulting rooms so that the queue reduces quickly. The queue on the first Saturday is huge, less so on the second which was when I walked straight in and out again in a couple of minutes. It's all very efficient. Do the pharmacies which give the jab pass the records to patients' GPs so that they know who's had it andwho hasn't?

Marmight Sat 03-Oct-15 17:28:54

Was at the GP last week about my knee and asked about the jag. She gave it to me there and then 'to save the weekend scrum'. Kind lady smile