Do people want to be ‘vulnerable’?

Marydoll, it seems that it does take a little while for the system to 'kick in'. So a few days back Sainsbury emailed my daughter saying they had received information that she is on the 'shielded list' and therefore she has priority for delivery slots. It worked perfectly and she is now able to do her usual weekly on-line shopping order and is able to get good regular delivery slots.
She is still working from home, so finances are no problem, so she was rather surprised to receive TWO different food parcels. Neither of which (thankfully), she needs. As one of the teams she managed in her job works with east london homeless, they are picking both those boxes up from her front gate and will be able to hand out the items to these people.
Must say, she was absolutely furious when she first received this Shielding letter. She has worked very hard building up an excellent reputation as being a 'Hands on' Manager, and knows this will not be as possibly just working remotely.
But think, she is slowly coming to terms with it now. Her local authority also contacted her to find out if she needs any specific help, such as with a child living with her under the age of 18 (she does have a 16-year old, but does not require any assistance in that), collecting prescriptions (she has for long had them delivered), just talking to someone.
All very good, and she was able to re-assure them that she fine. She has a house and home and a beautiful garden - also an exercise machine in her garage which she is using daily. She is keeping totally to her normal regime, getting up early and working all day, relaxing a bit more in these regards at weekend.
It is difficult for her, and particularly at present when a cousin has died (not from CV), and his sister and my daughter are extremely close and she cannot give her the physically support and comfort she would like to do.
She had her spleen removed some thirty years ago, which is why she is in this Shielded group. However, she has always refused to have on-going anti-biotics (usually given when a spleenectomy is carried out on a young person), keeps herself very fit and is extremely healthy. Several of her teams have tested positive for having had CV19 (particularly those who had been working with the homeless groups), and they have all recovered in their homes and returned to work. At work, my daughter was able to strictly enforce the 2-metres apart rules for all her teams and herself, and she did not really feel she was in any danger - but knows she has to obey this letter.
Although I am just a year short of 80 yrs, have very mild COPD, mobility problems and high blood pressure (kept well under control with medication), and an ileostomy - thank goodness I have not received this letter, not sure if I could cope with the added restrictions that would bring.
So, I suppose i count as vulnerable - but still do my weekly supermarket trip and go out most days on my scooter for a change of scenery. Finding all this difficult enough, have a horrible feeling that if such a letter did arrive I might pretend it had not.

Franbern, I'm sorry to hear about your family, so stressful for all of you.
Could your daughter register as sheilded on the Govt website, which would enable her to get free food parcels?
Would this help relieve some of the burden?

I know the system is different from here in Scotland. We are given adedicated phone number to message, then are contacted by the LA.
You can also phone your LA if you need help.

My Son in Law is shielded and was told very early on totally to isolate from his family. He ha for the past several weeks lived totally in their bedroom with en-suite. His wife looks after the four children, works from home, tries to get on with home schooling, does all the cooking and shopping for them all. They take his food upto his room.
One of my daughters received a text from her GP surgery a couple of weeks ago telling her she was in the shielded catagory. Upto then, she had been going into work every day, now she is working from home.
Being in a very stressful and busy job, she has used Sainsburys home deliveries weekly for the many years, however she is totally unable to get any slots at present to feed her and her teenage daughter.
So, she has to continue going to do a weekly supermarket shop (in NHS time). Seems daft - that on one hand she is told she is not to leave the house for 12 weeks, and on the other there is no way she can get delivery times.

"I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member"

To paraphrase Groucho Marx

Rosalyn, unfortunately some of us have no choice, but to join the group. ?
There are two choices, I believe.
Accept that is what is necessary, make the most or moan and feel sorry for ourselves.
I do have wobbly days, but generally try to be upbeat. Otherwise, I would drown in my own misery.

You must have joined Gransnet though, Rosalyn

I don’t want to be any group. I’m not a group person.

Thank you Marydoll. It didn't help that I lost a tooth filling a couple of days ago. I have no hope of getting it repaired for months. Just another reason for not wanting to be in the shielded group.

Missedout, we have all been there. My husband has had occasions when he forgets to be careful, with things like parcels etc.
I hope things improve for you.
It's hard enough being shielded without falling out.

Yes, I've given my husband the letter to read again (I also emailed a copy to him yesterday while I wasn't speaking to him ). We've been married for a long time and I know how much he hates us sleeping apart, there is no way we could socially isolate from each other. But somehow, he doesn't seem to understand what is safe and what isn't. I don't understand why he doesn't.

Yesterday was not a good day and I guess I lost patience and could have been more tactful.

My 83 year old mum is hail and hearty but is being told she is vulnerable, however as another post said it guarantees nothing and despite being emailed by her supermarket of choice has found it impossible to get any kind of click and collect or delivery slot. Luckily we live close enough to shop for her. My DH was due to start cancer treatment and got 'the letter' which terrified me and it was only on speaking to the treating hospital that everything was clarified. This whole thing is a nightmare.

Missedout, have you asked your husband to read the letter? It explains everything.
As soon as my husband read the letter he made the decision to sheild with me, so as not to compromise my health.

The letter states that you should not have any visitors (apart from carers) Missesdout.

It says that you, or the person you care for, should stay at home for the next 12 weeks.
Try not to be in the same room
Do not sleep in the same bed if you can avoid it
Use different bathrooms if possible, if not clean after every use; use different towels
Avoid using the kitchen at the same time, eat your meals in separate rooms.

If neither of you goes out there should not be a need for all that. If one person is isolating for 12 weeks and the person they live with goes out and about, it negates the whole process.

Callistemon, re your post of 09:25 today, where did you get the information about someone living with a shielded person not supposed to leave the home either?
I'm currently 'not speaking' to my husband because he doesn't seem to understand what shielding means.

The point being made I believe, those who should be in receipt of a letter because of serious health issue, and may need help, are not getting them and therefore unrecognised. WHY? What is emerging appears to be age-related. Experience: eighty with serious heart problems no letter; younger at fifty, on immune suppressant drug therapy for a skin condition, letter received weeks ago. Nationally, those dying as a result of the virus 80 per cent have a precondition heart problem. You will note, age discrimination does not apply, nor should it, to an elderly monarch and her husband. Once the crisis is over, many questions need answers. Including why the country was so ill-equipped, with protective equipment, to deal with a pandemic. Especially, when events in 2015 for such a possibility exposed British inadequacy.

dianetheartist that must be difficult.
I have phone conversations with my sister explaining why she must not go out but she doesn't really understand; luckily she has family not far away.

up ? Not sure where that came from

Doodledog I don't know which is the third letter your mother may have received so you may need to contact her GP to find out if she is on the shielded list.

It may have been from her local support group offering help with shopping fetching medication etc, which could be a useful link to have.

Thanks EllanVannin
At least the is shining, some of us have gardens and we have a Maths lesson every day!
I feel sorry for up those who don't have gardens and are not allowed out at all.

dianetheartist no-one who lives with a shielded person is supposed to leave the home either.

EllanVannin, thanks.
Misinformation only adds to patients' anxiety, which is why I decided to try and clarify things in my own head.

What I did find upsetting, was the attititude on this site, where a poster thought we had it easy, as we had others running doing everything for us and putting themselves at risk, while we sat at home.
Believe you me, I would do anything, rather than be sheilded.

Reading about the shielded members of the public is so upsetting to me that I feel thankful that I'm not in that group.

Take extra care, all of you xx

There is so much confusing info on here, which I suspect may be causing some anxiety. so I have done a bit of research.
There is a vulnerable group, but it has three categories,:
Highest critical risk
Medium risk
Low risk.

Sheilding means a 12 week lockdown as advised by the individualised Govt letter, from 29th March. You cannot leave the house for 12 weeks. It is for those with the highest clinical risk. That is the important criterion.
Your GP may also have contacted you, informing you of this.
The decision is made using NHS data on the system ( codes in your file), info from hospital clinicians and GPs.
Sheilding is considered as an extreme intervention which is why not everyone is asked to sheild.
The sheilding list was formally known as The vulnerable patient list, which is where I think the confusion comes from.

There are vulnerable patients who are identified as medium or low risk, they will not be put on the sheilding , register.
However, you are asked to follow the government guidelines on social distancing and you can also make the personal decision to sheild at home.

There will be another phase of letters coming out, as another trawl has been done, to identify those missed.

If you think you should be on the sheilding list, but are not, you are advised to contact your GP.
It is a clinical decision, which is made.

To summarize, not all who are vulnerable are asked to sheild, but are advised to follow the rules.

Here is a link to a document, where GPs week advice.

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/20200403-Clinician-FAQs-v_FINAL.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjTnP2P8_joAhXSTBUIHVE5DCYQFjAFegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw1j--cIwmN6XDdX2iH6wpBy&cshid=1587452623573

I would have liked to have received 'the letter'. There l have admitted it. I have chronic lung disease and have lost more than 20pc of my lung function due to scarring. The disease I have is linked to cystic fibrosis. I am self isolating but have had to retire from my job to do it. I worked in a very busy large supermarket and was only entitled to 2 weeks leave as I didn't receive the letter. I am not prepared to take the risk of working there so retired before I wanted to. The letter would probably have seen me through the worst period.

surely if you are living with someone who is classed as "shielded " and has had the letter, which I did very early on, you should not be going out shopping either?
I am shielded because of my health problems but also because I am on high doses of steroids because of those health problems.
I also take 3 other drugs that make my immune system crap...
It would kill me for sure and probably him too, he has heart condition, injects insulin for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, etc etc..But he has had no letter,,
Maybe it would be easier to explain to him if he had one.
My daughter shops for us and leaves it on the doorstep, bless her.
She has her own to do and also shops for her dad who is also shielding with his partner
My husband is in the early stages of dementia and does not understand why he can't pop up the shop...
I am 59 and he is 72..I miss my little family so much but we just have to hope we will get through this horrible time xx stay safe everyone <3

Can someone please clarify for me which letter my mother will have had? She is 85 and has no listed underlying conditions. She is saying that she is allowed out for exercise and to do things like post letters, but my sister and I don't think that she should be doing either - she has a garden, and someone nearby who is willing and able to get things for her if she needs them, so it seems as though going out for a walk is an unnecessary risk.

Mum says that she can't remember what was in her letter, and that she put it in the recycling after she'd read it, but my sister and I remain unconvinced. Apparently Mum had 3 letters - one from the council explaining which services she could access (food parcels, prescription deliveries etc), one from Johnson that everyone was sent, and another that she 'can't remember'. It is the 'can't remember' one that interests us. Thanks in advance if you can clarify.