New Meningitis inoculations are available for students going to college in September

[taxi4ballet]

If any of the forum run into problems within a surgery regarding vaccines or immunisations you are either best to speak to the Senior Partner or Practice Manager.  Receptionists are given a basic script in training what is allowed and what is not.  You will find that a Senior Partner and Practice Manager have to power to override the system usually based on common sense.  

I agree, and luckily for us, they agreed that since the NHS guidelines were that all 1st-year students living away from home should have the jab, then they decided that this overrode the minimum age guidelines in dd's case.

 

After all this hassle, and also re my recent TFL Oyster card debacle (see rant on another thread!!) I really think it is about time that the authorities woke up to the fact that yes, there are exceptions to these age-limit rules and some students DO actually start higher education and move to live away from home before they get to 18...

[CeliB]

A snippet of info on Men B: if anyone is thinking of trying to get it (and not currently eligible eg not a newborn baby!). The BMA has just issued guidance to GPs to say that whilst they CAN give it to those not eligible they CANT charge for this (apparently there is a very prescribed list of things they can charge for). So GPs have been advised they should tell their patients to go to another practixe who CAN then charge and give Men B (i suppose on the basis that they are not their list patient? I cant really see the logic, but this is what theyve been told).

Of course it makes life much more complicated for the punter trying to get the vaccine...so whats new eh?

 

'We are aware that many practices have been asked by parents to provide this vaccine privately to children outside the cohort. Although practices would be able to offer this on private script they would not be able to claim the cost of the vaccine, nor would they be able to charge the patient for providing it (as per Schedule 5 of GMS Regulations 2004 which lists the limited circumstances in which GPs may charge fees for providing treatment to their NHS patients). We would recommend that practices advise their patients requesting this to attend another practice, who are then able to charge for providing the vaccine.

'

[Lisa O`Brien]

Well my son had his vaccine on Wednesday,and I am pleased to say he had absolutely no side effects the following day or indeed today,whatsoever !

[pas de chat]

A snippet of info on Men B: if anyone is thinking of trying to get it (and not currently eligible eg not a newborn baby!). The BMA has just issued guidance to GPs to say that whilst they CAN give it to those not eligible they CANT charge for this (apparently there is a very prescribed list of things they can charge for). So GPs have been advised they should tell their patients to go to another practixe who CAN then charge and give Men B (i suppose on the basis that they are not their list patient? I cant really see the logic, but this is what theyve been told).

Of course it makes life much more complicated for the punter trying to get the vaccine...so whats new eh?

 

'We are aware that many practices have been asked by parents to provide this vaccine privately to children outside the cohort. Although practices would be able to offer this on private script they would not be able to claim the cost of the vaccine, nor would they be able to charge the patient for providing it (as per Schedule 5 of GMS Regulations 2004 which lists the limited circumstances in which GPs may charge fees for providing treatment to their NHS patients). We would recommend that practices advise their patients requesting this to attend another practice, who are then able to charge for providing the vaccine.

'

This is the same for Flu Vaccines.  GP surgeries cannot give vaccines to their Patients outside the set cohort.  If any of our Patients requests it privately we have to send them to another surgery who can then charge them.  It is totally bonkers but we have to abide by the rules the government set us or we risk breaking our contracts.  There are so many things wrong within Primary Care sadly I could talk all day about it!

[LinMM]

So sorry to hear about your son Primrose must have been so frightening at the time.

 

In this day and age you would hope that any parent wanting to vaccinate their child against anything would be allowed to do so.....given that it's safe medically to do so etc.

 

I can't believe just how difficult it's been for some posters above to get their children vaccinated.

[sugarplumsmum]

I took my Dd to our family practice as even though she is vocational they like to still oversee her treatments; just because they like to follow her journey really anyway while there my GP advised us that even though she had the single vaccine last year she needed the multi vaccine and that all her peer's would also have had it, booked her in with the nurse for following day no questions asked. .. why is it different in different practices?

[Bailarin]

Thought I would update this as I had issues with my surgery giving my daughter the vaccination and have spoken to the practice manager and she has explained things to me.  There is the new Meningitis vaccination which is the ACWY type which they are NOT eligible for as there are strict government guidelines and she said it is not possible for any surgery to administer this to anyone under the guidelines age limits.  However, what you need to ask for is a "Meningitis C Freshers Vaccine" which she advises me is basically the same thing they are administering in the ACWY vaccination and will cover them against those strains anyway.  You can ask for this type of "freshers vaccine" on the grounds that the child is "going away for further education" and not on age so their age is irrelevant.  Those who have had it with no problems have doubtless had this second type of jab and not the ACWY one.  Hope that helps.  My DD has re-registered at a surgery in London now as advised by the school but the manager has booked her in for it when she comes back in half term and all I have to do is to fill in a "temporary resident" form beforehand.

[Harwel]

Interestingly we had an email from school saying that the vaccine should be administered to year 10 and 11 at Tring the new year.

[primrose]

My son aged 17 years was given the ACWY vaccination a couple of months ago. GPs can use their discretion when giving it. The reasons in my sons case was that he has had bacterial meningitis on two occasions.