On vulnerable list but still not able to get delivery slots?

[chocolatesaltyballs22]

My husband has had the dreaded letter from the government telling him to shield. This was weeks ago and he immediately registered on government website. We still haven't been able to get supermarket delivery slots. He called Tesco this morning (who I have an online account with) and they've checked the database and told him he's not on the government list. So he's just registered again but we have no way of knowing whether this has worked.

Has anyone else had this problem? Seems like the system is fundamentally flawed.

Sadly, it is a bit of a shambles, to put it mildly!

I'm another shielder, OP, and my DH has to continue to shop for us as I can't get a slot despite 2 supermarkets emailing to say they've had my details passed to them.

We don't necessarily want home delivery - we'd settle for click and collect, but, can't get that either.

So, even if the supermarket(s) do recognise him as extremely vulnerable, it most likely will not be the end of your problem.

IMHO you simply swap 1 frustration for another.

Shielding from each other is not perfect but is preferable to starvation!

In my case it took approx 2 weeks from registering on Gov. website to 1st contact from supermarket.

I still haven't had a letter from NHS England.

Have you contacted your MP?

It seems there is miscommunication between the government and the supermarkets - the government isn't giving the supermarkets your details therefore the supermarkets hands are tied so to speak.

It's up to the government to sort this out and ensure you have everything you need.

My boyfriends housemate lives alone (boyfriend staying with me), he has CF so on the vulnerable list, he cannot access any of the online grocery services. Due to his CF he needs a high amount of calories perday, if he didn’t have my boyfriend dropping food off he would be spending an absolute fortune on takeaway and would run out of creons fairly swiftly.

@SimonJT : Hats off to your boyfriend for supporting his housemate. He's a good pal to his friend and sounds like a keeper!

The best time to access a delivery slot is in the middle of the night. My dh is sheltering and I get severe asthma but not been given letter. I have sat up all night to get a slot trying every 15 mins. Imgot 1 at 4.20am the other night.

Do let your DH in @caringcarer.
It's not right to keep him outside 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Deelish75
‘Have you contacted your MP?’
Thank you for that advice. I was desperately wondering who I could contact if things don’t sort themselves out soon. That is a good call.

Yes he wrote to his MP this morning. Only to get an auto response stating that he gets a lot of emails and will aim to respond within 20 working days. So that's fucking helpful!

Hi OP it took about a week from the website, had no letter either. Yes we had the same still tricky to find a slot even with the email. It's a muddle.

I have been out shopping for DH and found Waitrose good on terms of being v clean and I used the self scanner, in the meantime.

Just coming back to this as we've now been recognised by Tesco as vulnerable, with a specific button to click through for slots, but they're still all booked up 3 weeks in advance! Useless. Do we still need to queue up at midnight like everyone else?!

Hopefully we'll get other supermarkets contact is now but it's just so frustrating that we still have no solution.

You have to say you need food support on the Govt form. I didn't tick it initially as I didn't want a food box but ocado told me I had to tick the food support box. Since then both ocado and Tesco have contacted me to say I am now on the priority list

Yeah we've done that, and we've had contact from Tesco. But my point is that even with priority there are no frickin slots!

@Toomuchgoingon did you get a free food parcel when you did that or did the supermarkets just add you?

Have you tried the queuing at midnight? I know the slots are three weeks away but if you start now at least you know you’ll be sorted from then on.

@didkdt
A food box arrived yesterday. I also got a call today from my council asking me what help I needed, so I was able to clarify the situation. It felt very counter intuitive to select the " need food" when all I really needed was a slot.

Get registered with the gov.uk link on the letter if you haven't already.
Hopefully this will unlock delivery slots for you.
Good luck.

I did it.

I rang tesco in the end and they added me there and then on the phone.
They are open till 11 pm.... There number is 08009177359

Still waiting for Sainsbury's

Even with Tesco its pot luck, youve got to keep checking back

My nan is 85 years old. Who lives 80 miles away
I registered her for a food box still waiting 3 weeks later.
I said she had no-one to help her... Still waiting

I really do hope no-one has died waiting for this help the government promised

I know its a huge task and im not blaming anyone. But the vulnerable really are suffering

Try local councils.
Try local Facebook Covid support pages.

Loads of selfish fuckers are taking the delivery slots when they’re perfectly healthy. ‘We’re all vulnerable’, no we’re bloody not, the statistics don’t lie about the most at-risk groups.

I registered on the govt website but did not tick the bit that said I needed food. I was still contacted by Sainsburys and Asda, with whom I was already registered.

Asda offered a regular weekly slot. Sainsbury's just gave access to their slots

@JackJackIncredible that’s great that you can quote government guidance, but have to thought about the reality of people needing their partner as a carer? So he’s it means no one in the household can leave for the shops so that inside the house partners can be in the same rooms and care for each other. If they’ve passed the 2 weeks inside away from each other then they are okay. The shielding from each other is to cover people who have to leave the be still within the previous 14 days.

OP of course you want to be with your partner in the same house.

DH has been told by the GP he should be in the shielding group but as he doesn't need to see a consultant regularly he wont get a letter so we have to write to Papworth to make them find his old notes and 'maybe' give us a letter

Which is a bugger as last time I rang they said it was being worked out on inhalers and his very in the shielding group

The GP told me I should shield but said I wont get any letter or support I just need to really really avoid it

@AmIAStone

Sorry, don’t understand what you’re saying? You’ve turned my post into something it’s not. I said this ”Guidance suggests you should try to keep away from one another, if possible. Know it’s hard. ” Note, I said if possible and recognised it’s hard.
Firstly, not everyone in the shielded group needs personal care assistance. Secondly, where did I say not in the same house?! I shared the guidance which had been very confusing actually. I was unclear also. I was advised to avoid all other people, again, where possible eg we only have one bathroom so that wasn’t possible.

I commented that I’m actually in a similar situation except I’m the shielded one. Unfortunately my OH had no choice but to go to the supermarket because it’s taken so long to get every shielded person on a database to facilitate priority delivery.

OP, I understand the system is working a little better now. Fingers crossed!

@chocolatesaltyballs22

Do you need to use Tesco? I’ve found their slots are very limited. I’ve been trying to get a priority one for ages to no avail. Try Iceland or Asda, so much better!