Being 'vulnerable' does not make you part of the 'Shielded' group - if you're confused, see below

[Clymene]

At the start of the outbreak, many people were told they were in the vulnerable category. This includes people with asthma, pregnant women, the morbidly obese and people with MS and diabetes.

The full list is here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults

These people should be very careful with social distancing, ideally for 12 weeks.

The shielded group are people who are extremely vulnerable. They have been identified by the NHS and should not leave the house. These are people with cancer, organ transplants, cystic fibrosis and other serious conditions. This is why they have been issued with food parcels by the government. A full list of these people is here:

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

You cannot self-define as shielded. If you are vulnerable, take precautions. Use your local resources. But remember there are people who are much more vulnerable than you.

If you do not fall into either of these groups, please leave the resources to keep the vulnerable safe and well. Not only to protect them, but to protect all of us. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if the vulnerable clog up all the beds, there won't be any space for the outliers who randomly get very ill.

The whole system is shambolic. I'm so sorry @WoahBodyforrrm  it's dreadful and my heart goes out to you

@BamboozledandBefuddled - if you think your husband should be on the shielded list but has been missed off, you can sign up here: www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable

People who are vulnerable have simply been left to fend for themselves and throw themselves on the mercy of their community.

Oh my flowers didn't show!

Also on the shielded list with a letter but cannot get an online slot for love or money. I shop with Tesco and have a delivery pass, they keep emailing and saying they are preserving slots for the most vulnerable but I've heard nothing yet I have registered on the government site. Can never get a slot, they release a day at a time much later in April and they're always full. They don't answer emails/tweets. Apparently Sainsbury's aren't taking new customers at the moment? Not sure if that's true for the vulnerable.
It's all just horrible and I do get it's impossible for the supermarkets as there are so many needing the slots and also so many who are not vulnerable just taking them :(

I am definitely in the shielding group - I have read the guidance. Now isn't the time to be bugging my dr over my lack of a letter (as yet) - phone calls averaging half hour just to get as far as a receptionist atm. And then there's the fact that I've only had post delivered one day in the last seven - I'm waiting for something else in the post so know it is disrupted.

Can we, at least a little bit, trust people to know which group they belong to?

And yes my whole household is staying inside. Because I require personal care so it is impossible for my family to follow the strict guidelines.

There is zero support for either group except for the food parcel for the shielded group.

The shopping priority slots are being released randomly and there is no way of getting hold of one.

If you want to eat, you either have to leave the house or call your local volunteer service.

@BeyondMymymymyCorona - you can sign up on the link I posted. The letters are sent out centrally, not from your GP. Then you would at least get a food parcel

I'm in Wales, the self-registering link thingy is only for England.

Welsh letters are also due by next Monday at the latest, so it is entirely possible it's in the post.

Food wise we're okay for now, I'm a food hoarder

People know if they are in the shield group because they got a text and letter stating it. I don't think it is that complicated.

Gingerbeer it isn't that simple. My dad needs to be shielded, but because he was using private healthcare he isn't registered with the government systems- so no text or letter.

People know if they are in the shield group because they got a text and letter stating it. I don't think it is that complicated.

It's not as simple as that, as many who have been out on one list or another will attest to.

I have three DC with the same condition and only one has been sent a letter because,in our case, I think it depended on which hospital they're under and how they keep their notes. There are lots of people who've either been put on the shielding list unnecessarily or not included for various reasons. One of the issues that we had is that our GP's system didn't allow doctors to go into sufficient detail about genetic conditions and could only identify which chromosome had a deletion, not which section was deleted (obviously different genes do hugely different things, even on the same chromosome).

The central government system is only as strong and robust as the record systems of the medical teams/hospitals a patient is under, and will only reflect to the level of detail people have recorded. It would be wonderful if all of this stuff was completely standardised, but in reality, it's not. I know from speaking to my DS's hospital that lots of doctors and patients are scrambling at the moment to work out whether they should be shielded or not atm, as the central system doesn't always reflect sufficient detail to give the right advice.

@quirrels "If your situation changes and you now need support you should register again" -according some official guidance I saw

I got a text from the Scottish government yesterday offering me food. My mum is going out for supplies just now so that's all ok, but I was pleased to see the mechanism is now in place.

I agree there is some confusion over the two groups and also think the vulnerable group have been left to fend for themselves with no extra help beyond what kind volunteers can offer and if working often not even allowed to be off work with pay. I know several keyworkers who are in this group and still working in less than ideal conditions.

@YangShanPo completely agree. Employers now expect to see letters to prove vulnerability. There are no letters for these people but they're still at risk and shouldn't be e.g. working in supermarkets if they have bad asthma that doesn't quite meet the standard of 'severe'

The risk to the vulnerable group is less though and they dont have to fend for themselves. now we are in lockdown every is meant to be taking the same precautions as the vulnerable group anyway

@Helenshielding I don't think that a 90-year-old with high blood pressure should be going the shops, whereas a healthy 20-year-old isn't at particular risk. So I don't think it's true that everyone except those shielding should take the same precautions.

I also don't think it's true that the vulnerable group are automatically at less risk. You only have to look at the stats of those who've died. Some vulnerable people are old and have more than one condition but don't make the list because they don't have a particular condition. The list doesn't look at people on the whole, but someone with several conditions is particularly at risk, especially if they're elderly. The shielding list has been damaging to such people because some people now have an attitude "well, you're not on the list" and it isn't right and it doesn't take into account actual data. Lots of vulnerable people are going to die.

Automatically no, statistically yes I think but I'm no expert.

A 90 year old with high blood pressure is likely to have quite a lot of community/social input in "normal" times though and there is certainly a lot of support springing up. Normal community organisations and social work support still exists and these organisations and councils are trying to ensure the vulnerable are being reached.

The shielding support needs to only be used by those who need it - for example I've moved in with my parents so I dont need food parcels etc. But if I hadn't, I would have needed it because theres no other community support or similar for someone in my position.

Nothing is ideal, these lists are certainly not ideal and quite frankly terrifying. Resources aimed at all should be used by all, but if they're aimed at specific groups like the shielded, it's common sense to leave them for those they're aimed at.

Has anyone got any more clarity on the immunosuppressed shielded criteria? Does it cover for example being immunosuppressed as a result of biological therapy such as anti tumour necrosing factor? I think there's been an advice paper published by some official medical/ rheumatology body identifying patients as high risk but the gov.uk shielding wording is a bit vague?

Theres a list of specific drugs online if you search the shielding criteria. But being immunocompromised is one of the things on the list.

Thanks @Helenshielding, is that on the gov.uk site? Feel like we are going around in circles trying to find the detail! The one I'm looking for is adalimumab..

2 secs and I'll check.

@Helenshielding I just think common sense needs to be applied.

I'm officially in the vulnerable group being pregnant, but I'm not concerned or taking any resources at all because there's no evidence I'm likely to be badly affected. I'm young and healthy (though not complacent). I think there are people who, like me, are classed as vulnerable, but actually do need help that I don't. And I certainly don't think it's true that they're all getting it.

Schmabel, I agree - common sense definitely needs to be applied.

digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/shielded-patient-list/methodology/medicines-data

I dont see it but that's not to say it isnt elsewhere

Yes, it's frightening, but we need to put on our big girl pants on

🙄🙄🙄