Thread 4 Shielding chat

[Egghead68]

Thought I’d set this up as we don’t seem to have one. Please delete if we do and I’ve missed it.

*for vacuity read cut. What happened there, I dunno.

Hi me again. Was wondering if you lovely people would have any advise.

My husband is shielding and his employer isn't very happy. He just got a text asking him to find out if he can come off the shielding list and come back to work and if "improving your health and stopping smoking would help".

The account is asking for a "shielding reference number". None of the letters from previous have this and the new one doesn't either ( we are in Scotland if that makes a difference). The only thing on the letter is his CHI number.

Where do we stand with this? We feel he shouldn't be asking such questions and making reference to my husbands lifestyle is out of order I think.

Is your husband in a union? Does he have an occupational health department? In his shoes I’d be trying to get help from both of these. I am sorry he is having to put up with this.

No neither of those. It's a small company and my husband was the first employee. They have taken on another staff member last year but there is enough work for another 2 full time staff at least. The owner doesn't want to have to work anymore but hasn't employed anyone to replace him yet so isn't happy about having to work himself again.

He complained about having to work over Xmas but wouldn't pay any of the other staff to be on call and rightly enough neither my husband or the other staff would miss out on their Xmas for no compensation.

Oh no. Is there any work he could from home? Could he get some legal advice? I was told I wouldn’t get paid if I couldn’t work from home while shielding but not sure of the legality of that.

It's perfectly reasonable (although horrible) for an employer to suggest someone stops smoking, particularly if he's on the list for lung/breathing issues.

Your husband could offer the suggestion of flexi furlough so he can work partially from home, and be furloughed for the rest of the time.

He needs to also have an occupational health assessment if his employer is being difficult too - quite common at the moment to be offered this.

Unfortunately he is an engineer so fixing machinery from home isn't possible lol. He is in and out of upwards of 4 different factories a day so his risk is very high.

There is no occupational health department or anything like that at all to help. It's literally the owner and 2 full time staff. Plus the accountant who half the time doesn't do the payroll on time and my husband has to message at half 7/8 pm to ask to be paid

He can be referred to external occupational health.

I would show the boss the letter and leave it at that - it's pretty clear on there that he should not be going to work.

It's perfectly reasonable (although horrible) for an employer to suggest someone stops smoking, particularly if he's on the list for lung/breathing issues

It’s never going to improve someone’s health enough to get them off the shielding list though. Inappropriate/ignorant thing for his employer to say in my view.

@Egghead68 Absolutely - sorry I read the comment as in the request to come of the shielding list was not due to them giving up smoking.

You cannot remove yourself from the shielding list anyway I don't think. You cannot just decide to uncode your medical notes - you can I guess ask not to be included in communications, or, not register for support.

True!

Hope everyone’s having an OK day.

Ok am I being silly my town has a hub for vaccines so I suppose we are lucky but they plan to triple output in 2 weeks which is positive but how can they keep people a safe distance apart to achieve this

When do you think we will be told shielding will be extended? I can't remember in the summer how far in advance we were told.

I think it was extended from mid June to end June without telling us at all. Can’t remember what happened after that.

I remember it was 12 weeks in March, that was extended twice I think we knew the first extension was inevitable and I was a bit sad about the second we were cautiously paused 1st August. I remember that.
There was a point around June I think where we were told about bubbles and meeting someone for exercise but my GP was reticent.

Just got an email from work (they now have a shielding coordinator) to say any shielders who can’t work from home have to use their annual leave to cover the shielding period. Not sure what people do when their annual leave runs out - unpaid leave I guess. When I think of all the millions being furloughed at the tax-payers’ expense this just seems so unfair. Someone should challenge it legally really under the equality act but I doubt any of us has the energy.

(I am one of the lucky ones who can work from home).

Looking for some advice from you lovely lot.

I've been sent two appointments for checks at the hospital. These are routine and not an emergency, but part of the regular appointments I should every 6 months/ annually.

I feel really uncomfortable at the thought of going to the hospital at the moment, even though the infection rate in my city has been, and is, low compared with other parts of the UK.

Would you cancel and hope to rearrange when we're out of lockdown? Or just go anyway?

I’d call them and rearrange.

Or ask for remote appointments if this would work.

My dh has cardiomyopathy and whilst it is managed with medication he still has to see a consultant at the hospital at least yearly.
He had it cancelled last year , but has a telephone appointment next month.
Would it be feasible to request one ?

Thank you, both.

The two appointments need to be in person- an echo and an eye check. I’ll rearrange. Just wanted to check that it wasn’t unreasonable to do so.

Not unreasonable. In fact the hospital may cancel them in any case (my hospital cancelled mine).

Had another scan today- in case anyone wants Cheering up! Having another girl!

How lovely TOWGA

@Egghead68

Just got an email from work (they now have a shielding coordinator) to say any shielders who can’t work from home have to use their annual leave to cover the shielding period. Not sure what people do when their annual leave runs out - unpaid leave I guess. When I think of all the millions being furloughed at the tax-payers’ expense this just seems so unfair. Someone should challenge it legally really under the equality act but I doubt any of us has the energy.

(I am one of the lucky ones who can work from home).

That is shocking and I’m fairly sure not ok isn’t it at least SSP if you can’t work from home?