Called for Jury Service during pandemic.

DGD not DGS.

My husband is in his 70’s and is awaiting a CT scan for a continuous cough (2 years). He also has quite bad asthma and has been classed as having vulnerabl status from the GP.

Have you told them that, glammagran?
If he is shielding and you with him as his carer, or if you have a disability, you should be exempt, or at least defer it.

Bullet point your reasons and keep them simple, eg cannot walk to public transport and cannot drive due to cataracts/shoulder injury
Carer for shielding husband therefore worried about Covid

I can't believe they will not allow exemptions under medical grounds. Here is a link and scroll down to 'ask to be excused from jury service'.
GOV.UK Jury service
You will need a letter from your doctor, but I'm sure with your husband being vulnerable and your various injuries you will get a letter. If not ask another doctor!
But don't give up. You have perfectly valid reasons for not attending, especially in the pandemic.

Go to see your GP or get a phone appt. Say you feel unable to do it because of your various health problems, you have had a low mood recently and covid has made you very anxious. Say you really cannot face doing it. Ask them if they will do a letter requesting that you are excused. Let us know what happens. Wishing you well

Ooof, that sounds impossible, glammagran.

I wonder if you could get a letter of exemption from your GP? I don't know if this is possible, but it is certainly worth asking. Clearly if people are ill, they can't attend jury service, so you might be able to get a sick note in the same way that you would if you were at work.

If you can't be exempted, rather than walk a mile to catch a bus, I would get a taxi. You should be able to claim the cost back as expenses, but if not, it seems to me a sensible use of money.

I was going to suggest a GP letter but I know how busy they are
It's worth a try if you have a sympathetic GP, I'm sure they don't want you to risk getting Covid and taking it back to your DH.

I’ve heard similar stories. I think the problem is most people don’t want to do it at the moment and are asking to be excused. However, someone has to do it.

I received a summons recently. I wrote back and said I am currently not prepared to serve due to Coronavirus but would do if it could be done remotely. I was excused.
I am 71 which may have helped.
Keep your letter short and to the point.

My eldest daughter received a jury service summons. She wrote back informing them that she was front line NHS staff - just asked for a delay of a year until 'better' times. They stated that she would not be excused. Then she sent the letter showing that she was also EV and not even permitted into her office (working from workplace). She has now been given an exemption.

Get a letter from your GP as soon as possible and send it in, keep a copy for your records.
They usually give you plenty of notice about Jury Service (a few months) so that you have time to get letters etc.

I would advise you to do something today.

I was excused Jury service as I was having breast cancer treatment at the time. I did not need a doctors letter. I first deferred it for a year then cancelled it as I was having radiotherapy at the time.

I am 72 and was called last year and worried about it for a while before writing to say I couldn’t do it for reasons similar to yours. They agreed and hope I don’t get another call.

Wrong i know but if all else fails tell them you think you may have covid and you are in isolation.
I think it`s daft these days to even think it`s okay to go into a publick place.

I have been called many times, and served twice. My latest summons was early December. I find it strange that someone from court would tell you you could not be excused, though, with respect, it seems to me that none of the things you mention, though upsetting at the time,could be classed as reason for exemption. I did phone them, because I had submitted a doctor’s letter three years ago, and thought a phone call would suffice, but the lady I spoke to said she could not make the decision to excuse me without a doctor’s letter. The summons which came had loads of information on social distancing, safety precautions etc, and that a packed lunch, masks, sanitisers would be provided. The jurors would be in a cinema in town, with court officials witnesses,accused,only in the court building
I imagine your GP would be happy to give you a letter. You send in your citation, and the doctor sends you the letter.It doesn’t give any information, it just looks like a standard letter.

My gp would not give me a letter excusing me as he said the point in question was not how I could get to the court an hour away but whether I could sit a a courtrooms day he thought I could, I was so upset.

I am having an X-ray on Wednesday on misaligned little finger.

Then today I received a letter from the crown court rather than from the central jury office in London and they have excused me - rather more compassion than my gp.

That’s a relief gramma. Glad it worked out for you.

Glad I’ve now reached the upper age limit. I have been called once years ago, and while it was better than expected, I still wouldn’t want to repeat the experience, especially at the moment.

Can understand your concern glammagran but am sure they would have done everything they could to keep you safe. It's a very important job and someone must do it. I think that is why they do not want to excuse people. I have always wanted to do jury service but have never been called.

No one in my family has ever been called thank goodness I m too old now thankfully it’s something I ve never wanted to do
I m glad you ve got your letter gramma
I think there should be a different method many people do look forward and enjoy doing this but if you don’t want to or feel you can’t for whatever reason you shouldn’t be forced to
If you don’t feel able you are probably not going to make a fair decision for the prisoner anyway

They still need juries and there will be a lot of people trying to use Covid as an excuse to get out of it.
A doctors letter will excuse you I expect there is a special form to be filled out

Just found out that the upper age limit is now 75 so I could still potentially be called. Can you be excused on age only?

Fraid so blue sky. It was increased to 75 a couple of years ago so I hope not to get a call in the next 3 years. Did it once don’t want to repeat, have done my bit. Fingers crossed ?

Same here Silverlining! What worried me was that the OP had valid reasons not to go but wouldn’t have been allowed to, until she appealed!

I did jury service in Reading within the last 10 years which was fine. I certainly don’t want to do it now.