Great news, Heather! Shame on the Government for failing us again, but well done Blood Cancer UK for helping us all with paperwork, campaigning etc.
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Hi @CathyG you and your husband take lots of care of yourself, and keep posting how you both are.
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Hi @CathyG,
I’m sorry that you and your OH have experienced this scary situation. I hope that your partner is recovering well and that you haven’t caught COVID yourself. You’ve encouraged me that posting info’ like this can be helpful to others, even if it feels a bit like a rant at the time! So thank you.
With this in mind, my quest for the Third Dose continues but along the way I have discovered a useful piece of info that may help others…
When the letter or text from NHS England says you need a letter from your consultant OR GP, the important difference is who prescribed your immunosuppressant treatment. For me, it was my consultant who prescribed my stem cell transplant so he is the one who needs to write the letter for me to take to the vaccination centre. Well this is what my surgery explained to me.
In my case, the irony is that my consultant did this in September but due to staff sickness, I think, the letter was never sent out. But now I’ve been told it is on the way and I should be able to take it to the walk in vaccination centre tomorrow 
Wishing everyone well with achieving these third doses where applicable.
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This has all been an amazing mixture of different sorts of incompetence and lack of communication. When talk of 3rd jag/booster started, I began making enquiries and at every turn got either no answer, or suggestions which in the end turned out to be totally unnecessary. To cut a long story short, wife and I finally got invite for flu jag, with a note that said “If you are eligible, you can have a COVID booster”. One centre claimed they would only give me the COVID jag if I took a letter from consultant confirming it was safe. That despite the official NHS website saying it was imperative that blood cancer patients got vaccine. Consultant said, in effect, to take any official looking letter and insist. Got there, asked about 3rd versus booster, receptionist just said fine, we’ll put a tick in the right column. So this information must have been out there for some time.
As I’ve said in other forums, booze-ups and breweries come to mind.
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I have had much the same experience. GP and 119 no help and not possible to book online - computer says no. So yesterday I went on a tour of vac centres and got lucky at the UWE centre in North Bristol.
The team knew the difference between a booster and a third primary dose and were incredibly helpful. My main challenge was getting passed security on the front door.
It’s good that the IT system is being updated to enable anyone over 50 to book. I do worry that those under 50 with compromised immune systems will not be able to do it and will need to turn up at a vac centre on the off chance.
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Hi @Frankdb welcome and thanks so much for posting, you have certainly been on a mission but it has worked, good on you.
Look after yourself and please keep posting as I look forward to hearing more about you.
It does seem a bit of a lottery. We should all just persevere and exchange tips like people have been and eventually we might get there!
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Hi Frankdb,
Welcome! Your story of persistence is inspiring and I’m so glad you achieved success 
My letter from my consultant has been lost in the system since September, although I’ve been assured it was finally typed and sent out on Wednesday. If it hasn’t arrived by Monday I think I will try your strategy.
Its good that there have been some news reports about the confusion between boosters and third doses so maybe people are becoming more aware, thanks to the hard work of @BloodCancerUK-SupportTeam and other charities.
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Hi
I had my 3rd vaccine on 23 October. I explained that I am immunosuppressed and this was a 3rd vaccine and not a booster. The nurse input the information into the computer and advised me I’d be called for a 4th vaccine in 6 months time.
It does seem that the onus is on us as patients to pass on the information, which is fine if we are aware of that, and like mine, the vaccinator is clued up on 3rd vaccines
I had my vaccine at a very efficient and friendly vaccination centre in South Wales
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That’s good news about your third dose, @Cameo4me. I agree with you that the onus is on us as patients to be clued up and I am very grateful for the helpful information on this website that provides much-needed clarity.
Finally, finally after a long quest I had my third dose yesterday!!!
I also had mine in a mass vaccination centre, whereas my first two took place in a local pharmacy. I would agree how friendly and efficient it was. I haven’t seen that many people for almost two years so its as strangely exciting and a massive relief.
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Hi Coastgirl, Thanks for sharing with us what you’ve been experiencing. It is fabulous to hear you have received your third vaccine and in an efficient manner also.
We know something has clearly gone badly wrong with the roll-out, and we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to ensure the NHS can sort this issue out as quickly as possible. It is our understanding that records will be retrospectively amended through a national process to ensure that the third primary dose is accurately recorded as such. This will ensure a distinction is made between a third primary dose and a booster, and that individuals who have received the third primary dose are invited for any subsequent doses, should that be recommended.
We are also awaiting confirmation from the JCVI on whether people who have had the third dose as part of their primary vaccination will be subsequently provided a booster dose and at what interval.
Best Wishes, Lauran
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Thankyou so much, BloodCancer UK for all the hard work you’re doing ‘behind the scenes’. There’s so much misinformation and confusion around all these issues. The poor messaging affects many more people than just those of us with blood cancer.
How can we make the correct information available in a clear, concise format more widely available? This would ensure that those with responsibility in primary and secondary healthcare settings as well as patients know the answers to their questions.
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There does seem to be some confusion about the difference between a Booster jab and a third primary dose. When I had my third primary dose earlier this week I was told that immunocompromised people MAY (or may not) be offered a Booster in 6 months. My NHS record will show that I had a Booster, because the system does not have the option to record third primary doses.
I am part of two research studies, and my contact nurse told me that I must not queue for my third vaccine dose. I explained this to the security ‘man with a clipboard’ and was taken to the front of the (very long) queue. Other people that I know have either found virtually no queue, or have queued for over an hour.
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The 3rd dose saga continues! 3+ weeks after the jab went in my arm, after long conversations with 119 and Practice Manager at my GP surgery, I receive a text today from NHS stating that as I am at increased risk of complications from Covid 19 I am a priority to receive my booster vaccine and to go ahead and book it! I am past 6 months since my second dose as it is. The dose was recognised as a 3rd dose but couldn’t be recorded on the system as such and apparently it hasn’t been recorded as a booster either since I shouldn’t have received an invite. I have accessed my GP record and it is on there, I have my card with 3rd dose written on it but I am not holding out much hope that when, and if, we do become eligible for a booster we won’t have to start again.
PS just as a matter of interest I tried to book the booster and I couldn’t. So the system knows I’m due the jab on one protocol but equally knows I am not since I’ve had a dose………but does it know it was a 3rd dose? Time will tell.
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It sounds promising for things to be sorted out and it amazes me that this phase of the rollout has been such a shambles when the rollout of the first two doses was so efficient. I was detail the many problems I’d had with this by Myeloma UK who are contributing to an article in the press this week on this subject, so hopefully people will become more aware of the problems.
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Hi
Im new to the forum and the third dose discussion caught my eye, i have had my third dose and was told by both the help on here and my medical centre i should have the booster 3 months after the third jab which for me is due in january its all so unnecessarily confusing
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