I can’t get my 3rd dose
My consultant said to contact my GP, my GP said to phone 119, 119 said to phone the GP, which I did, with a follow-up e-mail containing a link to the general GP letter, on Monday - I have an e-mail back saying someone will contact me - no sure who, but no-one has!
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It says the survey is not accepting any further responses - I can’t seem to get anything done!
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Oh @heatherthomas you must be so, so frustrated. I just don’t deal with what personally stresses me well, and your experience certainly would, it gets all too much and I get fatigued, I also get tearful.
Please do let us know if you do or don’t get a contact, in the meantime look after yourself.
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@Erica
Thank you, I am a bit stubborn/persistent, so I know I will get there eventually,
I’m going for a walk in about half an hour with friends (short walk to the beach cafe), it’s lovely and sunny here, so a cup of tea and a piece of cake will make up for trying to tackle the red tape.
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Oh, @heatherthomas, please excuse the wording but your walk with friends to a beach cafe and tea and cake is probably just what the doctor ordered and laughter the best medicine, it would do wonders for me !!!
Enjoy, friends are priceless, and look after yourself
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Dear @heatherthomas,
I share your frustration! I can’t get mine either! The pharmacist said book on the NHS website but you can’t for the Third Dose unless you have received a letter of invitation. I haven’t received one.
I contacted my GP using the e-consult service with links from this website. I put THIRD FULL DOSE in capital letters. I had a reply saying that I can’t book my ‘booster’ until 6 months after my second vaccine, which was in May.
I have replied to e-consult saying that the the Third Dose can be given eight weeks after the second and I sent more links from this website to back up this claim.
Thank you @BloodCancerUK-SupportTeam and other contributors for posting these helpful links so that there is some concrete information to work from. I don’t blame my GP. It is hard having to pester them, though.
Good news, however, is that I have had my flu jab!!
All the best to everyone else still struggling to obtain their Third Dose.
Meanwhile, a sunny walk followed by cake sounds like a plan!
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Brief update on the 3rd Vaccine saga:
A helpful receptionist from the GP surgery phoned me. She had just come back from vaccination training where they were told you cannot override the computer, which makes it impossible to book any kind of Covid vaccine until 6 months after your second jab (never mind the eight weeks). She read the ‘What to do if you can’t get your 3rd jab’ link from BCUK that I had sent her and agreed that she now understands the problem and will see what she can do…
Meanwhile, this morning I received a cheery text from the NHS informing me that as I am ECV I may need a 3rd dose and should discuss this with my GP or Consultant!! Who would have thought it?
It’s not that many weeks until my 6 month anniversary so I daresay patience will eventually resolve this.
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My Update,
My GP surgery has said they are getting no response on what to do,
their next covid jabs won’t even be delivered to them until 5th November, and their slots are being filled by people who are getting boosters,
they say they they have no way of booking me in, even for after 5th November
They do have “a few others” in my position
They will send another urgent request for further info,
they seem to be stuck in between a rock and a hard place too.
… the walk, chat, and tea and cake were excellent!
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So sorry you’re having these difficulties @heatherthomas! Have you gone back to your consultant and explained this situation that’s happening at your GP surgery? It all sounds very frustrating for you. You might find our blog here helpful so we’d really encourage you to take a look (apologies if you’ve already - What should you do if you have blood cancer and cannot get a third Covid vaccine dose? | Blood Cancer UK
In light of our conversations with NHS England this week, where Blood Cancer UK highlighted the difficulties and frustrations being experienced by the blood cancer community, we are now expecting individuals in England who are immunocompromised to receive a text message/letter over the next few days inviting them to contact their GP or treatment team about receiving their third dose. We are hopeful the steps confirmed will help ensure everyone who is immunocompromised will find the pathway to getting their third dose much more efficient.
Just to let you all know, we have a Facebook Live on the third dose of the vaccine, which will be held on the 28th October at 7pm (no sign-up needed). The panel of experts will include a member of the JCVI - (16) Ask the Experts: Additional vaccine doses, ongoing research and upcoming treatments | Facebook
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Thank you Alice
my GP surgery won’t even have any jabs to give out until after 5th Nov, they have escalated again, but no-one is getting back to them… and as it’s a country practice, I wonder if it might just be Moderna anyway, as it is expected to be rolled out then
I have left a message with the haematology dept at Derriford, asking if they have any advice, if my GP can’t arrange it … but they haven’t got back to me.
I will phone the number in the blog tomorrow, if I don’t get any further responses
blooming government - p**s) ups and breweries come to mind 
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update from me.
Today, the GP haven’t got back, neither have Derriford,
so, I phoned the number on the advice link above, and they advised me to contact the clinical commissioning group
I have just “had a few words” with them, they will get back to me, I have said I am more than happy to do the trek to Plymouth Argyle, if it’s the only place I can get the jab
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Oh @heatherthomas let’s hope they do get back to you, you are certainly doing all you possibly can to get that jab.
Please let us know how you get on.
Look after yourself.
@Erica
The CCG said when I had the letter from the GP, I had to go to Wadebridge or Truro - both over 2.5 hour round trip, without trying to find any parking, and without traffic holdups, I asked about Plymouth Argyle, as it’s only just over an hour round trip, and there’s loads of parking, as the Argyle is playing away today… they said they had no idea, as they only covered Cornwall!
I contacted the GP again, eventually I was told the GP had a letter for me, I went to collect it at 5.30pm last night, and it said that I was eligible for a booster,
it was not one generated from any system, which I thought it would be.
I explained it had to say 3rd dose, not booster, and it should be registered in the covid jab system, and generated for me. The receptionist went to see the doctor, and gave me the letter back, with “booster” crossed off, and “3rd dose” written above it, and initialled the change.
I will go to the Plymouth Argyle walk in centre today,
I have my last haematology appointment letter, articles from the newspapers, the GP letter, and the info from blood cancer website - we shall see what happens
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Yes, @heatherthomas, as you say we shall see what happens, please let us know.
@Erica
Yeaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
Successfully officially 3rd dosed
The Plymouth Argyle walk-in centre was great, they asked outside, before the queues, if I was there for my 2nd jab or booster - I said - neither, I needed the 3rd jab,
Ah, 3rd jab, they said, They called someone over, who walked be around the back, so I jumped all the queues to register - at initial register, they asked for my NHS letter, so I just waived my last haematology appt letter at them (as I was really nervous about the GP one), and I was logged in at the front desk.
They then called another person over, who walked me past all the next lot of queues, and I was sat down to be properly registered for my jab, with medical condition etc, I then bypassed the next lot of queues, to have my jab, and I have a card which specifically states - 3rd dose, with room for a follow up booster on the same card.
It appears some bits of the service know what’s happening, whilst others don’t, but I was mightily impressed at Argyle
…lets hope The Argyle win at Oxford today
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Oh @heatherthomas that is such brilliant news, you did well there and lets hope your team does well too.
Keep posting and look after yourself, I can feel a celebration coming on tonight for you.
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I’m still having problems with this as the staff at my GP practice don’t seem to know the difference between the two. I had a 3rd vaccine dose but had a booster recorded on my record. I queried this with the practice and received a very curt phonecall from the receptionist who said there was no problem and somebody would contact me in 6 months to book a booster. I don’t believe her because she was rude and unhelpful and didn’t understand what she was talking about. You can’t contact the practice directly any longer, you can only fill in an e-consult form which all get filtered by the reception staff like above and only the ones they consider worthy are passed on to a doctor. So I’m stuck. I know they’ve done it wrong but I can’t get anyone to listen to me!
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@Franko
It’s worse than frustrating when you can’t get things done properly, as you also start to worry about what will they miss next - which we can all to without
The blood cancer support hotline in this link - What should you do if you have blood cancer and cannot get a third Covid vaccine dose? | Blood Cancer UK advised me to contact my clinical commissioning group, when I had a problem explaining things to my GP.
Could you try contacting the clinical commissioning group for your area, mine contacted my GP for me, to shake them up, they may listen to them ???
or maybe the people on the phone might have other suggestions for you.
I hope it gets sorted soon
… In addition to my problems being ironed out, The argyle won 3-1 and we are top of league 1 
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I had my flu vaccine today. I printed the letter on the Blood Cancer website and received my 3rd jab, no questions asked 
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Hi @Coastgirl, thank you for this information. I had no idea about this third primary dose until saw an article in the media this morning. My OH has Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and recently had covid which he survived by the skin of his teeth and I’m thinking if he’d had his third dose he may not have been so poorly. I assume by having had covid he’ll now have antibodies and that he may now only need the booster but I’m shocked by the lack of information about this.
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