supermarkets restricting all delivery and collection slots for vulnerable

[pigoons]

In principle I know this seems sensible but in reality I think it is problematic

1. My parents are late 70s. They are OK with basic internet use but are struggling to do an online shop. I want to do it for them but am excluded because I am not classed as vulnerable according to their data and no supermarket is picking up their phones to discuss with me.

2. We have been self-isolating. We have no family nearby who has been able to shop for us. Neighbours have been kind but because of restrictions on basic items we have struggled to get things we need as they are trying to support large families / their own elderly parents. We have been vulnerable during the time of self-isolation but no retailer recognises this.

3. Single parent families with young children are vulnerable too because of restrictions saying no children or only one family member instore

4. Families whose members have food allergies etc are extremely vulnerable at the moment because of food shortages of certain items - again this is not recognised

I agree that the majority of home deliveries should be available for vulnerable people, but I think that more click and collect locations should be opened up but not reserved for vulnerable people.

Sorry to hear so many people are having difficult times. Hope you all stay safe and well ... it's such a grey area isn't it about who is vulnerable isn't it? My parents have asthma and diabetes and COPD although not bad enough to be classed as needing shielding

Both Dh and I are in the vulnerable group, but not the shielding group. Dh is retired, so can stay at home easily. I work in a school but have been advised to work from home. My school is very supportive of me and I am working from home. If I can't get delivery slots and have to go to the supermarket, it seems pointless to be at home, I might as well go to work - I'll be more use there and probably not as likely to be exposed there as I will at tesco. We simply don't have any local shops that I can use - unless I want a tattoo or vaping supplies- the large supermarkets have ensured the local grocers, bakers etc have all gone. I don't mind that the shielding group get some priority, but actually, vulnerable people should get some as well - by staying indoors we are hopefully not going to be taking up valuable health resources which is likely if we catch it when out buying our essential food items.

If I was going to be locked down at home for 12 weeks, shed loads of Diet Coke and snacks is exactly what I would need. Do vulnerable people not drink Diet Coke?

I have hyposplenia and get a flu jab. Nobody has contacted me about being vulnerable. I normally shop with Tesco but they don’t seem to have any scheme available to register as vulnerable.

Surely ordering for a neighbourhood is a good idea? We have opposite us, 4 houses with people aged 60+. Two of those houses have people with not brilliant health. Next doors boy has asthma, the lady on the other side has copd and my boy has immune issues. A neighbour hood drop is exactly what we need

There seems to be two categories, one is extremely vulnerable (cancer patients, organ transplant etc)

And the other category is vulnerable (asthma, diabetes etc)

The supermarkets really have to try and prioritise the first group. It is does not mean the second group are less important, just that the first group's needs have bigger risks and consequences. It was my understanding that the first group would have food delivered by the government, what happened to that system?

There is no answer to this re delivery slots, because they can't deliver to everyone, and there are so many people in both categories. We have had to isolate for 12 weeks as per doctors advice for a vulnerable child and we are on day 16 now.
Getting food has become a major preoccupation of mine. All I can say is contact every food shop locally to you and see what they can do, many local shops are now offering deliveries. This has worked for us up to now.

Write to your mp and Twitter Shame.

Also get your parents log in details and order for them.

Well put @cornishdreams1

It’s about a scale of consequence for each person.

Some of the other transplant families I know are receiving the food parcel from the government but not all of us.

I’m still holding out for Ocado to help us as my young child is a transplant recipient. Three emails later and still waiting :(

It seems to be regional. My friend has been able to book easily. I can't get any slots because they're not automatically classing us as vulnerable. But DH is vulnerable (underlying conditions).

I'm also unsure how registering as vulnerable with a government scheme impacts critical care pathways.

Have you looked at local chains. My parents are rural and their local small supermarket chain (has about 4-5 shops I think) is doing a telephone based ordering delivery system.

I was going to pay about this. Parents are in 70s so self isolating. How are they meant to get food if they don't leave the house?

My mother in law is 87 and can't walk let alone go to the supermarket. She is extremely frail and now does thave any carers going in because of covid. We also have two immunosupprrssed children and 4 children in total, so that is a total of 7 people to shop for which Dh and I have to do alongside caring for 4 children and having two full on jobs with very long hours.

The system really isn't great.

nctdn In a word they can't, they either go to a supermarket with special hours for the elderly, or they have others do it for them/either packaged and sent or delivered by hand, or they find a local shop that can help them.
For the next pandemic, I expect better practices to be in place, and lessons learnt. As this is our first pandemic we are on a steep learning curve. As the Spanish will tell you when the army found abandoned care homes.

travel Perhaps speak to your/your dh employers about reducing your hours to accommodate your caring requirements, then you will have time to take care of what you need to. It is a time of national crisis, it is hard for everyone.

Been ignored by the criterion also.

DP is a T1 unstable diabetic, registered blind, has rheumatoid arthritis and is taking DMARDs that provide immunodeficiency as a side effect. I'm bedbound/wheelchair using.

Yet we don't qualify. Instead we're having to supermarket crawl weekly hoping that neither of us catch it.

I’m on the shielding extremely vulnerable list but haven’t been able to get a delivery slot either! I’ve registered on the ‘list’. The supermarkets do need to sort something out because someone with a physical disability or extreme frailty is as unable to go to the shops as I am.

I hope the supermarkets sort it out because it is a terrible situation for those with relatives who are not close by.

There is an online form on Sainsbury's now, my mum filled it in and now she can see the vulnerable slots there are plenty for our local one.

I do have some sympathy for the supermarkets here. I've had deliveries from Sainsburys at least weekly for over a decade and know they were struggling early in the year as they were short staffed. Then, without any warning, this happened. I think that, before CV, only 10% of the population had ever ordered an online delivery. Now everyone wants one. It's not just drivers and pickers but needing the refrigerated vans too and even silly things like the crates. The IT systems won't have been designed for this either.
I think that, so far, the Morrison's box idea has been the best as it must be quick to prepare as you get what you're given. It wouldn't work for those with allergies and perhaps they could come up with a more sophisticated system than just meat or veg but, from posts on here, it did seem to fulfil basic nutritional needs. If the Army or the NHS volunteers could start delivering those meaning people wouldn't have to worry about how they were going to get food, I think life would be more relaxed for many.

well given that this single parent, parent of vulnerable child (both disabled too) in self isolation due to symptoms, can't get a slot....

Create an online account using your parents details, they tell you what they want and their bank card details over the phone, you do the technical bit they can't and the supermarket delivers to their house. Parents sorted. Tesco has introduced a limit of 80 items per delivery so you probably won't be able to add your shop to theirs.

Although Tesco have banned children from the supermarket they have said they will use discretion in the case of a single parent who has nowhere to leave the kids so they should let you take them in, you need to make sure they behave and don't touch anything - get them to carry a basket, shopping list, shopping bag etc.

The problem is that there aren't enough delivery drivers to make all the deliveries. ASDA are advertising for more at the moment but they only have a certain number of delivery vans too. There will never be enough slots for everyone unfortunately.

Seem 0to have touched a nerve on my shedloads of diet coke and snacks comment! Point being, its selfish to expect normal service, they're not frickin' essentiials and the more needy are going without basics at the expense of that delivery.

@Greendin my parents are capable of doing an online order but there's no delivery slots for them!