COVID-19: Warning up to 40% of coronavirus vaccine appointments are no-shows

14 comments
  1. I wonder how many of these are due to people catching COVID, and finding on the day of their appointment that they cannot cancel the booking (there’s no way to do it on the day), rather than genuine no-shows.

  2. I know several people say they had an appointment booked for Jan but got to a walk in, then struggled to find a way to cancel

  3. Where I live, there are many walk in vaccination centers dotted around where no booking is required so those who really want the vaccination ASAP can get it on the day they choose. I got mine after a 15 minute wait.

    Hopefully, this lessens the impact of booking cancellations

  4. I have mine today at 5pm.

    I had to book it more than 2 weeks ago. I noted down the address and time when I booked. All I have from the NHS is a booking reference that I don’t think I can actually use to find my appointment via any public portal. No email, no reminder text etc. Weirdly I did get those for doses 1 and 2.

    If I hadn’t been organised, I’d have forgotten and Id be at home (I’ve come into the office specially as it’s near here but the office is meant to be shut so I had to get special permission to some in).

    People shouldn’t miss their appointments. They should be organised. But I wonder how much the attendance rate would improve if we just sent reminders and included the booking details…

    Edit: I just got a text from the nhs telling me to book my booster soon. Apparently they don’t know I’m getting it today!?

  5. I had booked my booster for end of December but my GP called me and invited me for one on the day. Looked to cancel my booking but there is NO WAY to cancel?!

    What a great system where you can’t say you can’t turn up which then blocks someone else from getting their booster.

    Shambles.

    That added to the national shortage of lateral flow tests means 2022 is likely to get off to a great start.

  6. Probably misleading.

    I got a text off my GP at 7am telling me a combined flu and covid jab appointment had been made for me that day, at a surgery on the other side of the city that’d take 2 buses and an hour and 1/2 to get to in the middle of the working day when I had a big client meeting scheduled.

    After spending 2 hours on hold trying to get through to change the appointment I gave up and booked myself in for a covid booster at the vaccine center 5 mins walk up the road on a lunchtime and got a flu jab at the local Boots that weekend.

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