The NHS lost my vaccine record –and it cost me £140 to save my holiday

As someone who travels frequently, I’ve got into the routine of doing my research about a destination well in advance. But, before my most recent trip, I got caught out, not by the widely reported delays, cancellations or strikes, but by something completely off-my-radar: an NHS admin error.

Remote working during the pandemic allowed me, like many, to sell my flat in London (where I had worked for eight years) and return to my Welsh homeland. I had my first two Covid jabs in London and my booster in Wales. As international borders began to open up, I started booking trips, excited at the prospect of visiting friends and family abroad.

Last month I returned from a brilliant last-minute trip to Mexico (where there are no Covid restrictions for travel), and had only a couple of days before I was due to head to France on a family holiday. I checked the requirements – passport (of course) and proof of being fully vaccinated (perfect, I’m fully jabbed).

Downloading my vaccine pass

I logged on to the NHS app to check everything was in order, only to see the dreaded “login failed” message. I followed the steps to bypass the app and log in online, only to be met with a second message: “There is a problem connecting to your GP surgery.” 

To recover my pass, I would need to upload ID to prove my identity, but, as the message warned, that could take up to seven days. As I was sailing in 48 hours, I was starting to feel the pressure, but, to my relief, my ID was approved within a couple of hours, and my pass was granted. On checking the pass, I noticed something was missing. Where was my booster? It listed my first two doses only. France requires proof of booster if your second dose was given more than nine months ago. The pass was rendered useless.

Covid pass issues

I began a long and complicated series of calls and emails to every resource I could get my hands on, during which I found that my medical records had not been transferred, and my booster record had vanished entirely. Frustrated by a series of dead ends and with time slipping away, I decided the best way to proceed was to take a PCR. Because of my rural location and many testing centres closing, this meant a six-hour round trip to Birmingham to get the test, all in all costing me almost £140.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “A small number of people who have moved between Wales and England have experienced issues with vaccination records not updating in their Covid Pass.

“If this occurs, people registered with a GP in Wales should contact the Welsh Vaccination Certification Service. Anyone registered with a GP in England should contact 119.” On reaching out to my health board, Hywel Dda, I was informed that the system of transferring medical records to Wales from outside the country involves hard-copy transfer, with no electronic process in place, which could explain why my records had not been updated almost three months later.

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