Phone call from council offering support

[Littlemiss74]

I had a message from the local county council today saying they were contacting me as to see if I needed any support as I had been identified as someone who would be at risk of severe illness if I get the virus.
I appreciate the call and think it would be lovely if you were on your own and really needed help.

But, as I didn’t get the official NHS letter I wondered where they got my phone number and health details from. I did receive a letter from my hospital but I doubt they would have given it. Maybe it was through the GP surgery?

I am anxious person and having been reassured by my consultant that I don’t need to shield but just to be very socially distant, this call has made me feel quite vulnerable and anxious again.

Has anyone else had a call like this without having received the NHS letter?

Have you had any previous involvement with SS?

No

He said they were a community group, I think maybe volunteers...?

There isn't anyone who could have made a referral for you? Though they should have asked for your consent.

No he seemed to know that I am in the vulnerable category, I just wondered how. It’s a nice gesture but I’m not sure I want just anyone knowing my health details and phone no. It must have come from GP but they always say they are so strict about patient confidentiality.

Are you a council or housing association tenant? As most LA & HA are contacting vulnerable and older tenants to see if they need support at this time.
If not, unless they can prove they are from a legit organisation I would air on the side of caution . There are so many scam going about, everyone needs to be careful

@Sassy31 no - he said on the message be will ring back tomorrow.

MIL had the same call the other day - she's very elderly and vulnerable, they got all her details from the DWP and council tax. I phoned them and queried it to check, apparently it was a genuine call.

I’ve just googled and it is a community service/helpline set up and being run by volunteers for residents of the county council I live in. Which is fine but still quite like to know how they got my details and that I am in the ‘at risk’ group

I would be surprised if doctor surgeries are passing on information. A council would hold some information that would allow them to judge certain things, electoral register, if someone was claiming single person council tax discounts, if someone were in receipt of some benefits, ss involvement.

Is it the sheilding helpline? My husband got the call too and then got his letter a couple of days later. Also had been told he wasnt sheilding by his consultant at the beginning of this. They have now changed their mind, apparently.

It’s not the NHS shielding helpline no, it seems to be a local community helpline but organised through the council - it’s on their website. I have a had a letter advising shielding but not the main NHS one, it was from my consultant who I’ve spoken to and he says I am in the middle group so don’t need to shield but the letter he sent out was a standard letter to all patients to err on the sids of caution.

The councils are co-ordinating the “official” CV support in many places. GP surgeries are sharing information so they can make sure the vulnerable are being taken care of. Obviously everyone extremely high risk was targeted straight away so now they’re working their way down the list to try and make sure everyone’s OK.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-notification-of-data-controllers-to-share-information

@Dyme thanks that’s helpful and makes sense

We got one - not shielding with a letter but self isolating as both vulnerable . Was housing officer that rang .

I’ve known housing officer for years and know she’s well aware of my mums health needs and difficulties, so didn’t surprise me she’d rung - did say there’s not a lot they can do to help though ! Referred us to (council ran) covid hub ... who said they’d ring the community association ... tell them to ring us to discuss pick ups for meds and food etc ..

Never have heard a word back from community association so just making own arrangements as far as possible !

I would have thought the hospital added you to the shielding list so that you can get support, I don't know why you dismissed that idea?

I would have thought that if I’d been called by the NHS shielding line but I wasn’t sure the hospital would divulge my details to anyone else.

They will not have divulged anything about your medical condition, it will really only be that people are trying to help you. The government asked for volunteers because helping with shopping and medication for 1.5 million is an enormous effort. If you don't need nor want help then you can ask them to remove from their list. I'm sorry you felt offended that they contacted you or by the way the man expressed himself, but some people are complaining because they didn't get a call yet, so nobody can win!

I didn’t say I felt offended, in fact I said it was a nice thing to do. I simply wondered how they had my details as I haven’t had the official letter and so am probably not on the main database and I doubt the hospital would have had time to give out details.

You said "this call has made me feel quite vulnerable and anxious again", as well as saying you had confidentiality concerns. It's fairly obvious that your consultant put your name down for a standard letter from the hospital and the hospital have the county council a list of everyone who got the letter. They are not divulging your medical history, they are trying to help you by putting you in touch with special services set up just to help you in this situation. You actually heard from them really late, which makes sense because you weren't on the original list.

I had a very similar thing happen to me - I've got RA and just assumed that the GP or Rheumatology passed my details on. Nothing to get ones knickers in a twist about.

It doesn’t sound like OP is having the vapours - it’s a fair enough query given all the hullabaloo usually about GDPR etc.

Thank you @Dyrne, it was a genuine query to see if anyone else had had a similar call, can’t see the need for snidey responses at this difficult time. The whole thing is making me anxious as it’s not a great feeling knowing you are at greater risk.

When I got my letter from the RA team I decided to register on the gov.uk website so that I could sign up for online food deliveries with the supermarkets.
The man called back from the county council this afternoon and told me that that is where they got my details from because I voluntarily provided them. He said they would never have been given anyone’s information directly from the hospital so your obvious assumption MRex was incorrect. I had actually forgotten I’d registered on the gov website anyway as it was a few weeks ago.

He was very nice and we had a good chat. He said that some of the council have been redeployed from normal duties to make these calls and help anyone who needs it. I explained I am fine apart from anxious and I thanked him for his call and offer of support. It’s nice to know this available for people who may live alone and really be in need.