Shielded group

[ClientQueen]

How do they check you're in it? This is a stupid question I know
I am in it, my condition is listed, my consultant confirmed it. My GP surgery says I am not high risk and doesn't even send a flu jab reminder. They told me I won't receive a letter or text because I am not high risk
Spoke to nurse specialist who went batshit who was going to ring the GP
But I've registered on the GOV site as vulnerable - if they check via the letters it won't show me as included so no help
I've had a food delivery slot tonight but been unable to book any others. Have two letters from consultant which both say I need to be shielding

@ClientQueen :
When did your Nurse phone GP?
Did she get back to you to tell you outcome of conversation?
If not, phone her again on Monday.
Letters are still being sent out and the guidance says if you haven't had a letter by 29th and you think you should have, .....contact GP.!...but, in view of your OP, try your Nurse first to see if she managed to put Doc right.
I think the priority delivery business will take a little while to set up initially and, of course, people's circumstances will change as this goes on. Folk who don't need help just now, will need help if/when their carers succumb.
Good luck.

@Wingedharpy today. The surgery is adamant I am not in the high risk group and said I won't be sent a letter and it needs to come from the consultant
Nurse specialist (based at hospital where consultant is) said they don't know where the letters come from
I work FT normally, no help but with this if I can't go out it gets tricky

Are you absolutely sure you meet criteria

100%
Point 4 on the list - rare disease with increased chance of infection.
I'm under haematology and the consultant changed my appointment to a telephone one and said on the call "are you aware you are in the vulnerable high risk group and you must not go out?"
I have a disease which affects 1 in 1.5 million and kills my white blood cells off so I have a very very low white cell count and inject a bone marrow stimulant

The guidance document lists the specific conditions for the "extremely vulnerable " group eg. solid organ transplant recipients, people with specific cancers : undergoing active chemotherapy or radical radiotherapy for lung cancer, people with cancer of the blood etc etc

Then there are the "vulnerable" group....over 70's and those under 70 with chronic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease etc.

It's the 1st group, the extremely vulnerable, who are getting the letters, from "The NHS in England" and they are the ones who have been asked to register on the extremely vulnerable list.

Is that any help?

I am in the extremely vulnerable group but haven't had a letter yet so can't say for definite who it comes from.
I'm taking all the precautions, and was doing before Boris told me to, as listed in the guidance.

So, if everything goes to plan, I should get a letter this weekend.
Will report back.

Sorry.
X posted with you - I'm such a slow typist!
Anyway, last paragraph stands.
Will PM you if I receive my letter this weekend to let you know who sent it and will give you any details that may be on it for helplines etc etc.
Other thought is, phone your Consultant's secretary on Monday and ask her if she would ask him to include the info he told you on the phone call, in the letter which he should send to GP.

Good luck.

Point 4 on the list - rare disease with increased chance of infection.
I'm under haematology

I think it gets a bit weird with rare stuff. They letters have been issued based on codes in our medical records.

My daughter also has a rare haematological condition, we half expected her to be missed off the list but her code seems to have been grouped in with ‘blood cancer at any stage of treatment’ (it’s not cancer but it is often treated with chemo).

If at all possible I would ask your consultant to state in writing that you should be classed as extremely vulnerable- then, if you are rejected from the register, you will have evidence to challenge it.

It the current climate, an email will likely be fine!

@DuLANGDuLANGDuLANG :
Is there much new in the letter or is it just repetition of the Guidance....for the medically extremely vulnerable document?
I'm not asking you for you DD's personal info obvs.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

That’s all the main info. The rest of it stuff like washing vegetables and keeping a hospital bag packed and ready to go. The important part of that advice is to have some of your ‘key health information’ packed.

I’ve photocopied all my daughters discharge notes from the past year (5 admissions) and put them in a folder.

I don’t see how the vulnerable person supermarket delivery slots will work for people like me, my daughter is 8, she doesn’t have a online shopping account, that’s in my name!

When the supermarkets run their checks, we won’t get a match. Suspect that will be the same for a number of other extremely vulnerable people too, not just paediatric patients!

I thought with extremely vulnerable group, others in household can still go shopping, which i dont agree with mind.

@alloutoffucks I live alone so nobody to go for me

I thought with extremely vulnerable group, others in household can still go shopping, which i dont agree with mind.

You can’t if the vulnerable person cannot be left alone :/
Can’t get a baby sitter in to sit with her, can’t take her with me. Can’t send her to a friend while I go. I’m not supposed to touch her for 12 weeks, which is clearly impossible with a child.
Still, just have to manage the best we can, it’s far worse for disabled adults who rely on home carers. I live on a tiny street and know quite a few of my neighbours. We’re lucky.

ClientQueen has your post been yet? If you haven’t got a letter by the end of today I will photograph my daughter’s and PM it to you. The only identifying bits are name/address/nhs number and GP practice and a couple of bar codes so I should be able to just crop those off.

If I were you I would definitely see if you have a neighbourhood help group, and check your council website too. We have a service run by councillors and volunteers, everyone pre vetted.

The major difference between extremely vulnerable and everyone else, as far as I can tell, is that people on the extremely vulnerable list are instructed to contact 111 as soon as they develop symptoms - do not wait for the symptoms to get worse.
Pack a hospital bag, inc medical notes.
Stay inside, no physical contact with others.

@DuLANGDuLANGDuLANG thank you - I have managed to see a copy in my FB support group
A fair few of them haven't received letters, one has symptoms and is being told he doesn't need help as he hasn't received a letter
I've cracked and sent an email to my local newspaper
Sainsbury's say they can't identify me as vulnerable, all the others are saying just register on the GOV site which I have - but I had to put I hadn't received a letter so don't know if that will affect it
I have this letter luckily

I’ve been unable to get through to my online supermarket, and might have done the hub wrong (did not put down I was in need of food assistance as I don’t want a food parcel, and was hoping supermarket would respond to emails) If I don’t get a reply to my most recent attempts, I’ll have to go back to the hub and see if I can change things there.

Even with a letter, getting any form of priority shopping is not a given, and is taking quite a bit of time and stress!

We are in the same boat no letter but my husband has a serious lung condition. We are shielding all together with the children not leaving at all, we run a farm, we have food now but will need an online order soon, can meat and veg delivered but will need other stuff in the next couple of weeks. No slots to be had, I have registered him and his medical number so maybe they will check. Fingers crossed then the coordination works and Sainsbury’s magically appear !

The whole household isn't required to shield @moocowmrs......though, clearly, I don't know your situation and that may be the only way you can do this and keep your DH safe.👍

@wingedharpy It really is the only way I can keep him safe, we work together the advise is that you have to sleep in separate rooms keep 2m apart etc we have a farm so he can’t just go and live somewhere else or in one room till it’s over ! We will be fine and won’t starve !! Just would be easier if we were in Sainsbury’s list but there will be many more worse of than us so really if we are not then we will cope. We have lovely friends and local farm shops and luckier than most I think x

Just spoken to someone else with the same condition as me who is also a transplant patient. No letter, no text

@DuLANGDuLANGDuLANG i have been ill for over a week and in shielded group. I contacted 111 yesterday because i had got much worse. Someone came out, but i was made to feel like i had wasted their time and should not have rung.

I’m sorry to hear that Allout - must be upsetting to be made to feel that way when you are simply following the instructions you have been given.

I hope you feel better soon

Thanks

I am in the same situation, rare conditions that put me in the extremely vulnerable category, but I haven’t received a letter. My GP surgery has phoned me multiple times to check on me as they have said I am their most at risk patient (which wasn’t very nice to hear!). I asked them what I should do if I don’t get a letter (as government advice is to tell your GP) and they said they have no control over the system. I have registered on the gov website, but haven’t heard anything, so no idea what this does.

@alloutoffucks my experience has been that 111 are fairly pointless at the moment. I’ve been ill with suspected covid for almost 4 weeks now. When I called 111 after being ill for a week they had someone call me back who’s final recommendation was to call my GP. My GPs have been great and have checked up on me regularly and arranged for an ambulance to take me to hospital when I was at my worst. Fortunately I didn’t have to be admitted (although the downside of this is of course not being tested). I hope you start to feel better soon. This is a horrible illness that seems to last forever...

AllOut
Re. your question about whether the whole household is to self isolate...
The guidance says that others can go out as long as no one comes within 3 steps of you, you use a separate bathroom etc. This isn't possible for some, such as if the very vulnerable person has personal care needs or is a young child, so in that case the whole house would have to isolate.