Help for "extrmely vulnerable"

[MereDintofPandiculation]

DH got one of the "NHS letters". Googling led me to the suggestion that he register on the uk.gov website, and we presumed this might be the database that supermarkets are basing their decisions on. The site says
"Register if you have a medical condition that makes you extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. For example, you’ll be able to ask for help getting deliveries of essential supplies like food."
www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable

But as you fill in the registration form it becomes clear that this is registering for one of the special standard parcels that they're talking about.

We don't need that, as long as we can continue to get a supermarket delivery slot every two weeks or so, so he hasn't registered.

But does not registering mean we won't be able to get a supermarket slot? Does anyone know any more about this?

I'm in the same boat. Not in any way housebound but under the NHS 12 week requirement to stay home. All I need is a regular supermarket delivery slot, and someone to fetch my prescriptions if I survive until they're next due.

Place marking as DP is in the same boat and we just need regular delivery slots

Meant to say, I HAVE registered, we'll see what transpires...

Following. Same issue with young children with allergies so a standard parcel is no use to us anyway.

The government are meant to be sharing the list with the supermarkets to prioritise home deliveries.

www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/working-to-feed-the-nation-/latest-information--?storeId=10151&langId=44&krypto=ip0Q8gFFiWuL2vUXeBDqWavLKe87xJgsLCydm3y3tqkERXZfL2HbMkZmtYW%2BRiUI57%2BQXUua2eMcNis%2F19qvRmY2Z5x0pJ3W3U%2BbSMmum4hl%2FqAuH59M5WUP1bwdhNe7Py2Q0zDdremT8syVlIx4trd6St6VNMMfz%2Bj1JkPZ5kQ%3D&ddkey=https%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Fworking-to-feed-the-nation-%2Flatest-information--

Selfsettling3, the scheme is in its very early days, allowing for allergies and other dietary requirements will need to be looked at.

I'm glad I've found this thread because we've been wondering about this too. All we need really is access to an online delivery slot that we can rely on. I'd rather that than a standard food parcel that may not take dietary needs into account.

Register, then they will know how many people will need support.
Also it will ensure you get a slot if they do start limiting them.

Register.
Sainsbury's are working with the Government to identify the shielded and vulnerable customers.

Am I missing something? Trying to register for my dad who is 88 and with severe dementia, 100 miles away. I normally deliver shopping weekly. Neighbours are keeping his shopping stocked up, but a delivery would help hugely. But he doesn't meet any of the categories on the vulnerable list, which are all about cancer, pulminary disease etc. Has anyone who is elderly and vulnerable managed to sign up?

Has anyone successfully registered?

Notvery.. If your father has been identified as one of the 1.5 million at severe risk, he should have received (or will shortly receive) an email, text or letter from the NHS. You then submit your name, address and NHS number on to the website. I think/hope this info is passed on to the supermarkets. Someone above linked the website.

My sister registered on gov.uk. Extremely vulnerable. She had a parcel today. She says she has received: “pasta, corned beef 2 pints of milk, cornflakes, dried milk, biscuits and 1 massive toilet roll. And a few other tins.”

@Notverygrownup

Same boat. My dad has 3 underlying health conditions, my partner's dad is over 80. The evidence suggests these are the people dying from covid19 in huge numbers. The vulnerable list has actually made it more difficult for them to get help simply because they're not considered vulnerable enough to be on it.

Yes I was wondering this too. Didn't want to sign up for parcels, don't want them to waste money on me when I don't need it, but would find the supermarket slots really helpful as dh trying to isolate as much as possible for me too. So is the consensus sign up anyway? Could give any tins to the food bank I suppose. It really needs to have an option for just signing up for slots.

Thank you. Still waiting for the letter so will hang on for him.

I hope your families are ok and can access other resources. If my family member catches CV, she might have a mild case, but the experts think she is more likely to tie up NHS resources than others. So she is effectively under house arrest for 12 weeks. Not even a daily walk. Banned from a trip to the supermarket too.

The .gov isn’t for the vulnerable. I count as vulnerable and my dad is 85 and he’s not vulnerable. The .gov is for the extremely vulnerable.

I registered on behalf of my teenage dd. We haven’t received a letter for her but, based on the list published by govt, she does meet that criteria.
I agree with pp that she doesn’t particularly need a food parcel if that’s what is being offered. I’m not sure what being on this list means for dd as it doesn’t really make it clear. 😙

OneEpisode Most of the people of this thread have received the NHS "extremely vulnerable" letter. The Sainsbury's site is telling people to register to get access to delivery slots, but the uk.gov registration seems to be for food parcels only.

I have registered my dad. He hasn't had a letter but falls into at least 2 of the categories on the list (cancer and severe asthma). I was hoping it will mean he can get a doctors appointment when he needs one. He doesn't need a food parcel as I am doing all his shopping, although if I get ill he will be stuck.

We are similar (12 week letter but happy to pay and just need some food deliveries and possibly prescriptions collected). I registered anyway as I figured it made sense to, I read it as ‘in case we need help’ for a variety of things. The form asks if you have dietary needs (although you don’t specify there what they are). As others have said apparently this list will be accessed by supermarkets for prioritising deliveries.

Our local council has just started doing emergency supplies deliveries, they haven’t asked what dietary requirements we have but have given the option to say ‘no’ to receiving a delivery at this time. So far we have used our local mutual aid group to help collect a prescription.

I think this service will develop over the coming weeks, but will likely vary by council. Ours is doing a big coordination of volunteers so they may start using the list in light of that, eg maybe to help get shopping delivered more normally that we pay for and not just emergency supply drops (a guess, they haven’t said anything!).

Hi Mere, I think there were crossed posts. But there are some posters on the thread that aren’t specifying whether they are “extremely vulnerable” or just ordinarily vulnerable like my dad, me and my son. I think the three of us have a higher risk of needing the NHS, but not as likely to tie up a ventilator as my sister.

I hesitated over filling this in for the same reason. It really doesn't make it clear what you're signing up for. I've had the 12 weeks letter, plus daily texts, but don't need priority or emergency food parcels or anything like that. Of course getting a supermarket delivery slot would be helpful. DH is able to go out shopping for us, he is asthmatic, though not severely, and he's a bit paranoid about bringing the virus home.

My son has had the letter too and we have registered. He has just finished chemo for stage 4 blood cancer and I really can't see him surviving this if he gets it. Seems pointless him staying in for 12 weeks if we don't do this same, but the food situation is a worry. Knowing we could get our food delivered would be a massive help, I think help is coming but it's taking some time to sort out.