Are they sending out ' the letter ' in batches ?

[VictoriaBun]

So my friend's husband had his extremely vulnerable shield for 12 weeks, don't even go for a walk letter over 3 weeks ago. He has severe respiratory problems.
My dh and myself have been sticking to the rules but
put ourselves into avoiding people, busy places etc at least 2 weeks or so before the official lockdown happened due to his medical condition . Yesterday he received the letter telling him he had been identified as extremely vulnerable and to shield for 12 weeks from receipt of letter.
Do you think the government are batching sending these letters so the vulnerable are spaced out and therefore not all able to be more mobile at the same time ?

No, what is happening (as far as I know) is that the government went through everyone’s medical records & pulled everyone their system identified as extremely high risk, then hospital consultants went through their records to find anyone under their care who had been missed, then GP practices did the same. So letters came out in different batches, depending at what point the patient was identified.

I received my letter today, it stated to shield until 30th June.

@VictoriaBun :🤣🤣🤣🤣

I think you're giving the Government too much credit TBH.

I'm a shielder too and started my lockdown before it became "official".

I actually heard from Asda and Sainsbury's before I heard from NHS England.

But, now I'm on their radar and I've had 3 letters and so many texts, all telling me the same thing, that I was starting to think I'd been signed up for the brainwashing programme for Covid 19 avoidance!

Trust me, your DH's peace is officially over😉

I came on here to see if anyone else has only just heard. I got a load of texts yesterday to stay in until end of June - no letter yet.

My letter arrived on 7 April. It came via my hospital consultant - there's a covering letter from the hospital with the standard NHS letter enclosed.

Haven't had any texts, though, and certainly nothing from supermarkets.

Thanks for replies, his says ( letter dated 23/4/20 ) to shield for 12 from receipt of letter which is mid July ish.
He is under the cardiologist at the hospital, but the letter is signed by a GP at our practice.
Thanks for the heads up with getting repeat updates from them !

No. The letters are taking a whole. They sent out the first ones. Then the gp can add more. That's taking a while

Are you in scotland or england? I think they're catchinh up with the missed people now so its unintentional batching. I was in the first wave back in march - my update letter didnt reset things though like some people have said.

With regard to where we live , in uk but about 20 miles away from Scotland.

Yours will be from nhs england then. They're sending out slightly different letters and obv from different people- my first one was from the CMO and the second someone else.

@VictoriaBun:
Government guidance on shielding document was updated on 17th April.
The original advice to shield for 12 weeks has been removed and it now says to shield until end of June and they are "regularly monitoring this position".
Sorry to be the bearer of this news😥😥😥

Sorry to be a bit stupid here but we have been shielding my vulnerable DD for 5 weeks already and our initial letter said to shield for 12 weeks. Are we now to shield for 12 more weeks from now? We’ve had a few texts and have supermarket priority but don’t know anymore.

We have only just received one for DS which says 12 weeks from 16 April. I wondered if they had only just started sending children’s letters out.

Just wondering - d dad has fairly advanced heart failure and asthma amongst other conditions. He is on warfarin. He didn’t receive a letter but has stayed in regardless (reluctantly). I just wondered if anyone got for this or is that not the sort of thing they are sent for? Thank you.

I got the texts yesterday too, no letter yet (and I really shouldn’t be on the list either I don’t think).

Ours takes us up until 1st July

My friend got her texts yesterday too. I have had mine for several weeks

Wingedharpy

Can you link?

It’s very confusing!

Will all shielded people have to shield until the last date on the last person’s letter (eg 1st July)? Or will the people who got the first letters (whose 12 weeks expire eg mid June), be allowed out and back to work first as the guinea pigs??

I'm 69 and five months. I have copd, asthma and had part of one lung removed ten years ago. I n the , if have no chance last four years, I've been hospitalised three times because of cold symptoms that have made my breathing worse.

So far, , no letter. Nevertheless, I'm shielding and have been doing so since early march. If I wait for this band of incompetent idiots to look after me is be dead

Been Shielding myself since before lockdown began as I knew I’d be a risk. Letter only came yesterday, undated, but only recently posted and said to shield from 12 weeks of receipt of the letter .

I got a letter from my consultant at the hospital but not the original NHS letter. I don’t understand why I wouldn’t have got the NHS letter if the consultant felt it necessary for me to have one.

How did they decide who should get the NHS letter and who shouldn’t?

It seems you only get put on the supermarket lists if you had the original NHS letter otherwise they don’t know about you.

To add to the confusion I know other people with the same condition as me who take the same meds who haven’t had a letter from their consultant. The lack of consistency just makes me even more anxious.

Oh and my letter didn’t give a date to shield to.

Like everything else, the letters have been a massive balls up, people got letters who didn't need to shield, letters were sent to dead people, and people who did need to shield were missed out completely, they'll probably never get it right.

I had a call today from the shielding team to ask if I had a letter and then tell me to shield from 12 weeks from today. What annoyed me was how dramatic it was. Anyway I have mild lung disease and I am not on the severe category still listed on the government website. I have already had advice from my consultant that my risk is the same as general population.

I live alone, work from home, and have been going to the supermarket once a week. I suppose priority shopping would be helpful but I am not staying indoors for 12 weeks in my flat, it's south facing and extremely hot, so I feel bad taking up the shopping. They said I could call 111 for a letter if I want but then I would have to stay indoors for the whole time which would be bloody shite. I am pissed off that they called as it has been on my mind since and I now feel guilty for my past actions which were what I was meant to do. Unless my GP calls me I am not doing anything.