Who to contact to change priority group?

[LaBelleSauvage123]

My sister has a number of underlying conditions which make her CEV. Unfortunately her primary condition on its own doesn’t make her CEV but her respiratory team have advised her to change her priority number ( from group 6 to group 4) as the combination of her various lung conditions make her CEV in their opinion. She has contacted her surgery but they’ve just sent her an answer saying they can’t change the groups and she has to contact the NHS direct. However the link they’ve sent her doesn’t have any contact details! Can anyone help?

Only her GP or consultant team can put her on the list - so the respiratory team can & should do it.

Her respiratory team were wrong to leave this to your sister. If they have medical evidence to support their opinion they should act on it, not her. They are the only ones who can contact her surgery with the evidence to justify her inclusion in cohort 4.

Whether they are lazy or passing the buck, they are the only ones who can change her status. I expect, but obviously don’t know, that they know she doesn’t fit the category. They could of course give it to her themselves.

I think the respiratory team need to do it as they've recognised that it's necessary. I know others have been put on the list by their hospital consultants. It's not great it's taken that long as she could have had support for the last 10 months and presumably has been shielding anyway?

Thank you - yes she’s been shielding the whole time.

She can’t, her medical team have to

She’s just told me her medical team told her they don’t get involved in the vaccine programme!

Groups 6 is Adults aged 16 to 65 years in an at-risk group and group 4 is all those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals

So it seems to me that at the moment she is just 'at risk' and the respiratory team need to make sure that she is registered as CEV which would then automatically put her in group 4. They don't have to get involved in the vaccine progamme.

Then she's stuck, if the hospital team refuse to act on their words.

It has to be the people who say she needs to shield who put her on the shielding list.

She falls into the final category "other people who have also been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of their needs. GPs and hospital clinicians have been provided with guidance to support these decisions"

The hospital clinicians need to put her in the shielding list themselves, or by writing to the GP stating what is needed and why it is GP's action (usually means some sort of change in the underlying clinical coding). Shielding letters are normally generated by GPs.

Once she has been put on the shielding list, her vaccine priority will change.

But it's not just about the vaccine programme? It's about other support like online shopping, vitamin d, advice from govt, council support. I know we are hoping to be getting to the end of this all but not for at least another couple of months

She’s fine for all the other support aspects - it’s just the vaccine. Thanks all for your advice - she’s trying her GP and consultant again.

Her respiratory team needs to inform the GP surgery of their decision - not just fob it off to the GP.

It’s good that she doesn’t need the other support, but I think what the other posters are trying to say is that she shouldn’t approach it as requesting to be put in a different vaccine group, but requesting to be officially listed as CEV. So the fact that the hospital team don’t get involved in vaccines is irrelevant.

@Justcallmecaptainobvious yes, that was what I was trying to say but failing. Thanks - it's been a long week!

Update - she's been moved into Group 4! Thanks for all your advice everyone.

That's great news - good work