Shielders - has anyone not received a letter for this lockdown?

[PutneyHill]

I received a letter during the first wave but nothing as of yet for the second. Just wondering if they are either still being churned out or I've been forgotten..

Still nothing for me. (ECV 'new shielder').

No email or letter. It took them 8 weeks the first time to realise I'm ECV so I wasn't hopeful!

DM got an email earlier this week, no letter.

My dad has had nothing so far this time. But his GP and both consultants each denied being the one to send it last time (the letter wasn't signed or sent from a specific department, just the hospital trust), so who knows.
We never managed to get them a priority shopping slot anyway, and he has decided he is going out for walks and drives to National Trust properties this time whatever. I think he's had enough.

I received a letter today.

Email only, and I know that because they changed the asthma criteria I should have been removed from the list but clearly haven't been

I've had an email this time around...

@Lurkingforawhile no I definitely received a letter yesterday not an email. But I didn’t register for NHS support on line last time as (I thought it was more for vulnerable elderly people living alone with no family support nearby). Whereas, I live with DH, have lots of friends and neighbours living nearby and have been fortunate enough to continue to WFH part time and we have managed to get Morrison’s deliveries or Click and Collect easily.

Sorry @GooseberryTart - I just meant I only received an email.

I received a government letter today, no email or text for me this time.

Finally received my letter today dated 4 nov.

Still nothing.

DH has had an email, a paper letter (from My Mate Matt) and a text from the council.

All saying "stay in apart from a bit of exercise...see no-one, go nowhere, no shopping, no pharmacy. And there's no food box for you this time"

Letter on Thursday, no email or text.

It’s different isn’t it now? It’s only the extremely clinically vulnerable? Whereas in March it was anyone clinically vulnerable

This is not the case. Shielding has always been CEV only.

But there is (and was) a 'catch all' category, for others who are individually advised, so there will have been some people who did not exactly fit the main shield CEV definitions but were still at exceptionally high risk

I've not had a letter or email (which is unsurprising to me given the total fuck up of the last shielding set up).

I won't be totally shielding (I realise I am lucky in being able to say this as I don't have a very high risk job I have to choose whether to do or not, if that makes sense?) Personally I think the whole strategy of shielding has been a fuck up from start to finish and I actually wish it hadn't happened.

I did shield last time (but gave up a few weeks before the end as I was losing my mind). Now my DH and DC are all back at work/school/uni/college, using public transport etc. It makes a mockery of all the months inside, as the risk now is actually much much higher for me (and all of us I guess, depending where you live, I'm in a very high rate area). And the wishy washy advice now of don't go out unless you have to, if you can't go to work you should live on SSP or get sacked, bye, see you, is infuriating to me.

We can't eradicate the risk, we can minimise it and I think that should have been the message from the start. I know people are in different positions and some families are all still shielding altogether but that isn't right for us - of course I would never judge anyone for whatever they chose to do.

We were basically told eradicate the risk with a very very strict strategy, fell off a cliff edge of "it's all fine now" and then were told "errrr well it's still all fine for you now, kind of" with no help or support. After being terrified into months of compliance with restrictions that were totally incompatible with any form of family or professional life.

They should be supporting those who do wish to shield with a furlough style 80% wage payment (I would like 100 but I'm realistic) and ensuring, like maternity leave, you couldn't be sacked. I also think the £20 a week UC top up should be given to PIP awards, and backdated until March actually.

So if they ever get round to sending my letter I will be writing back with my response. (I have already shared my thoughts with my MP, who doesn't give a fuck)

I have lots of other ideas they could do to support us but don't want to derail the thread

@ScrollEatSleepRepeat

I have lots of other ideas they could do to support us but don't want to derail the thread

Now that most of the letters/emails/texts have now been sent/maybe received; I think it's OK to widen discussion to what shielding could/should mean in terms of restrictions and support.

I'm happy to hear your ideas @ScrollEatSleepRepeat !

Well, if you're asking... and these are off the top of my head...

The equivalent of the £20 per week UC uplift to be given to everyone in the CEV category, I know we don't all get PIP or UC but we all have NI numbers and are a distinct recognised group. Or some of these ideas could be implemented by various providers in the way the Warm Front grants are. (Obviously I would like this figure to be higher but I'm realistic) to reflect some of the associated costs for those who shield in line with the recommended guidelines which could include things like

More central heating being used at home
More electricity being used
(Perhaps that could be via an increased warm home grant but applied to everyone in the CEV database by the suppliers)
Reduction in metered water rates
Supermarkets to waive delivery charges for CEV, I know this isn't happening now and I know lots of us aren't being given priority despite what they say.

I've said already people should be able to be on leave from work (if they can't work from home) on a maternity leave sort of basis, paid and protected. I would ideally like that for all spouses but then it's a case of extending it to working DC who live at home etc and would become unwieldy) Definitely provide it for parents of CEV DC.

No bloody fines but instead support for parents who choose not to send their DC who are CEV to school. And obviously parents' jobs to be protected in the same way.

The government can't get even the most basic aspects of Test and Trace sorted (apart from throwing money at their mates) but I think the CEV group should have household members tested regularly)

Also along the lines of people who can't drive for medical reasons being given free travel passes, I would like to see CEV given priority for hospital transport for appointments to reduce risk of public transport (you cannot get hospital transport here for love nor money)

And if people say but there is no money I would point out that many of us are, or have been, hefty tax payers and £500million was spent on EOTHO. And perhaps look at all the government money flowing into private companies such as Serco...especially with their totally fucked performances.

Also I believe we should have (and these are jokes kind of ) free Netflix, discounted UberEats delivery fees, a heated throw, free ink cartridges and a pair of kittens for all.

I would actually like to start a thread to discuss these ideas but I know full well what would happen and I'm sick of people being arses, perhaps with the thread title here flying under the radar a bit, so to speak, ideas could be shared? I don't want to derail your thread though @PutneyHill so happy to take it elsewhere if you prefer?

Fuck sake all my emojis and formatting disappeared! I'm sure it's when you @ someone they go

It may not read in the way I intended as some of it should have been more light hearted for example

Also I believe we should have (and these are jokes kind of free Netflix, discounted UberEats delivery fees, a heated throw, free ink cartridges and a pair of kittens for all.

PS If you don't want kittens you can have puppies or hamsters. But hamsters don't live very long

And also (I'll stop now I promise) I'm not looking for this so I can get some money, I already said I won't be shielding or doing shielding 2.0 Lite as it is now.

I don't have experience of shielding a DC but I would like to hear what would make their lives easier (and they absolutely should get it)

Finally, I think Jeff Bezos can fund some of this. He could think of it as a kind of cashback scheme for all the money I've spent with him this year.

Good ideas there! I think the idea of 'shield leave' modelled on mat leave is a good one - it would be like an extension of furlough (paid entirely by the govt), leaving the employer able to pay to employ 'shield cover' on a temporary contract

Nearly all DC have been deshielded and are in school. What would help would be guidance that school must inform families of recently deshielded DC about all those testing positive in the school, even if not a close contact who must SI. So that if numbers are creeping up they can decide if they want to to elect to keep the DC off school (getting same support as any DC who is having to SI eg for a contact outside school).

Also schools should be directed to hold a list of all those they know to be recently deshielded, or who have a member of immediate household who is shielding and that they must inform PHE (or equivalent) when notifying a case/deciding who might need to stay home; and a more cautious stance be taken for them. Which is a complete PITA in terms of that pupil's education, but it is better than living with the consequences of serious illness/death of child or parent.

No CEV child, or child with CEV in immediate household, to be subject to fines for non-attendance

@nether it's a very good point that schools etc should be sharing that data (anonymised of course) with families.

One of my DC's school asked CEV students/families to let them know if they would like to be added to the CEV list - they have one of the staff (called a "wellness coordinator" I believe) keep list members updated with case numbers even if DC not contact/close contact students, and also speak to the students each week to see how they are and if they are worried about anything. I cannot fault them, they have been brilliant.

It's obvious though that CV cases are just about to mushroom at that school (already happened at another school and a college my DCs attend) and God knows what will happen then.

I don't think there are any solutions (eradication), just measures (minimisations) that can be put into place to reduce the risk/impact. Unfortunately all the parties concerned will never all agree on these measures. I fully accept that the CEV are a minority as it's just a fact and the reality. The vast majority of strategies that will be put into place will be more dangerous for us than others but it doesn't mean that we can't be protected within those strategies. Eg things need to open up and people have to return to workplaces - but give the CEV the shielding furlough option and make it compulsory for employers to pay and protect us.

There are no easy answers, are there. It's hard.

It’s different isn’t it now? It’s only the extremely clinically vulnerable? Whereas in March it was anyone clinically vulnerable

In March people who were CV were advised to work form home if at all possible. If not able to work from home their work place was supposed to try and find them roles that would reduce their contact to a minimum etc.

This part isn't the case now though. CV are expected to work as normal. They're advised to take extra caution but there is no work from home guideline for them this time.

So in March to July I worked from home and my school wouldn't allow me to work in a bubble in school etc. Since September I have been working ft in school, across bubbles, with no additional mitigation. Once I return from sick leave, during this lock down, I will be expected to do the same.

Some extremely sensible ideas above.

I'd like to see the UC £20 extended to ESA too.
Definitely free supermarket deliveries. We are lucky that Tesco have kept their priority list, but speaking to today's delivery driver, he said they are already at capacity. Goodness knows what will happen if the demand for online groceries increases. (And we live rurally, so there is no "popping to the shop" even if we felt confident)

But most of all, as a couple who have been keeping away from everybody since March, please please can we have some help and supoort with out mental health? We;re just about at breaking point.