A nice man from the NHS just phoned me...

[Pebble21uk]

... and told me to shield!!

He said I might not have received a letter yet (I haven't) but that I will very shortly and I should be shielding!
I'm asthmatic, but I thought I was in the 'vulnerable' catagory when looking at the criteria released by asthma.org a few weeks ago, rather than shielding catagory. I'm on Fostair 100/6 twice a day and have had one course of steroids in the last 12 months. Also use salbutemol as needed.

Fortunately I haven't been out of the house for 6 weeks now anyway! We are lucky we have a large garden and have been sticking to that (and no children to consider)... has anyone else been told this after several weeks lockdown??

Do you want to shield or would you rather not?

I don't mind shielding - it's for my own good. It's just come as a bit of a surprise after all these weeks!

I had exactly this call yesterday. It scared the living daylights out of me.
I contacted my GP. He said it’s come from central records and they aren’t always getting it right. I was told that the specific medication I was on meant I didn’t have to shield but it would be sensible to assume I would be at higher risk if I did contract the virus. Worth giving them a call?

Careful OP just seen this other thread which suggests there's some scamming of this kind going on.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3882180-Shielding-service-03333050466-is-this-a-scam

That's interesting Wolfiefan. I suppose it's just the sheer numbers involved that means it's taking time to get round to everyone.
I have been shielding anyway as I knew I was vulnerable, but like you say - a bit of a shock nonetheless!

Mine certainly wasn’t a scam. They asked for no information. None at all. They just offered advice.

DH got a letter to shield and it was an error. Last time I checked the asthma advice you had to be taking oral steroids to be in the shielded group, no?

Same here - asked nothing at all, said they had no medical details at all just that I was on the list and to expect a letter!

Oh. I’m on the same drugs as you & have had 2 courses of steroids this year. But haven’t had a phone call or letter.

Asthma UK will have details of who has to shield. It is not straightforward. It does include people whose astha is poorly controlled as evidenced through unplanned hospital admissions.

Asthma UK say -

The NHS now say that you would be considered at very high risk if ALL THREE of these things apply to you:

You have asthma, AND
You are taking certain extra controller medicines as well as a preventer inhaler (for example, you are taking Montelukast, salmeterol or formoterol, or you are on a combination inhaler like Seretide, Fostair, Symbicort, Flutiform, Fobumix, DuoResp Spiromax, Combisal, Sereflo, Sirdupla, Aloflute, AirFluSal, Relvar Ellipta, Fusacomb or Stalpex), AND
You are taking continuous or frequent oral steroids.
The British Thoracic Society also says that you are at very high risk if:

You are taking a biologic therapy for severe asthma.

I had a letter last week, I did sort of think I was in the category so I have been staying at home.

Really concerned as to what it means for my job though, I am wfh at the moment and that isn't a problem, but as everyone else starts to go back, my job involves a lot of meetings and in reality they work better face to face. They are okay-ish at the moment as everyone is remote, but if most people go back to work and I am the only one remote, it won't work well at all. So, as they are saying shielding might have to go on for an extended period, does that mean I will become un-employed?

I've looked into this a little and heard on the news that because this had to be done in super quick time initially some of the information that was available wasn't totally up to date so they are going through and checking it all so some people will be told they should be shielding and some people might be told they no longer need to.

I would be concerned about this

he didn't ask for any information now but might on his next call

also in mum's area people have been distributing fake official leaflets saying "don't leave the house for any reason". Some people do this for amusement.

Shielding advice is advice, btw, it's not compulsory. This is another area where the govt have made a huge mess.

I've just found out I'm shielding (asthma and diabetes); my surgery assumed I'd received the letter which they sent last month and seems to have gone AWOL

Yes it is advice not compulsory, but unless you do not have long to live anyway, it is sensible to follow.
Was it the NHS Shielding Helpline that rang you OP? They should not ask any details but just ring to see if you need any help. Not everyone in the shielding group is online so it is just a trawl to pick up people who need help and are not getting it.

I'm on Fostair 100/6 as well. The advice given at the start of the pandemic on the Asthma UK website said that taking this dose of Fostair was not cause for shielding but being on the higher dose was. However, this seems to have changed. See

www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/shielding-advice-high-risk/

The gov can't make people shield, it's literally just advice. Not everyone has help to be able to do so for whatever reason.

I've had three letters and emails about needing to sheild but am unable to.

You have asthma, AND You are taking certain extra controller medicines as well as a preventer inhaler (for example, you are taking Montelukast, salmeterol or formoterol, or you are on a combination inhaler like Seretide, Fostair, Symbicort, Flutiform, Fobumix, DuoResp Spiromax, Combisal, Sereflo, Sirdupla, Aloflute, AirFluSal, Relvar Ellipta, Fusacomb or Stalpex), AND You are taking continuous or frequent oral steroids.

I have asthma, I take montelukast, fostair and the blue inhaler and I have had two rounds of steriods in the past 3 months. No one has contacted me. No phone call and no letter. When I ordered my prescriptions I was told the pharmacy couldn't deliver so I had to go get it myself only to arrive, wait 45 minutes in line, finally get into the shop and I'm told 'actually we don't have your prescriptions because we've run out'. They told me they had contacted my GP and requested that they prescribe different meds for me. A week later and I still don't have any meds. I'm now being told to phone 111 for 'advice'

So, as they are saying shielding might have to go on for an extended period, does that mean I will become un-employed?

As far as I understand it you would then become eligible for SSP

@Becca19962014 why can't you shield?

Don't know if he ssaid 'shielding helpline or not' I was in the middle of cleaning and had to ask him to wait while I washed my hands (very apt!) but he didn't ask anything - just said I would be able to get support with shopping etc if I needed it.

What happens about returning to work if you're shielding?

@catpyjamas That is awful, and according to Asthma UK you should be in shielded list. You could ring your GP about this.

I received a shielding letter last week which gave me a shock. I dont have a spleen which I knew made me vulnerable but I didnt realise it put my in the shielding category.

I then got a call from the nurse at my surgery asking if I had any questions about shielding and if I wanted to talk to the GP regarding medical interventions if it came to it! I assured her I would want full medical intervention. That scared the shit out of me!

At the moment employers can furlough people on shielded list who can't work from home. No one knows yet if that will continue.