Do You Feel You Come Under The 'At Risk' Category?

[Barsel]

If you do, have you received a letter from the government or your GP to tell you that you are? Do you know of anyone who has received this type of letter?

[bednobs]

they want to reserve the not unlimited help for the most vulnerable group of people (certain cancers, organ transplants and severe lung disorders)

[Vagus]

Pixie, I have well controlled type 2 and well controlled, by medication, high blood pressure, as well as an autoimmune disease, but don’t consider I need to receive a letter.
Maybe it’s how we all view this.

[bednobs]

it' not how we view it. It's how the government view it as to who is extremely vulnerable (people with certain cancers, organ transplants and severe lung disorders)

[Vagus]

Indeed bednobs, you put it better than me.

[queen 1954]

my brother in law has chronic emphysema and he had a letter.He can't walk 6 steps without getting breathless so going out is not really an option for him anyway.

[Ringlet]

I have an auto-immune condition for which I take cortico-steroid. I received a letter telling me that the doctors in my medical centre had identified me as extremely vulnerable, and if I caught the virus I would most likely have to be hospitalised and I should not leave the house for 12 weeks. My friend, a nurse, told me I am classed as extremely vulnerable because the steroid suppresses my immune system and leaves me unable to fight the virus.

[Mamyalynne]

Stay safe Ringlet.

[twix123]

My wife is classified as very vulnerable, being both over 75 and suffering from COPD. She received her first letter last week, which appeared to have come from a central delivery address. Having received this letter I logged on to the Gov.UK website, which suggests that you can get priority booking slots for home delivery from the supermarkets. I'm still awaiting a response to that from Sainsbury's.

She received a follow-up letter this morning, re-emphasising staying indoors, suggesting that we sleep in separate rooms and use separate bathrooms etc. Although we are in a position to do the separation, we have decided not to at the moment.

As for shopping, I made my weekly visit today, queuing for 20 minutes at Lidl's followed by a further 10 minutes at Sainsbury's. I managed to get nearly everything we required for the week.

Getting repeat prescriptions filled is another headache. Our area of Kent is currently trialling a system, which will probably be introduced countrywide, where we have to either ring a 0300 number or use an App to place your repeat order. They check your records, then pass it on to the surgery, or decline for certain reasons, after which the surgery passes the electronic script to the designated pharmacy. The reason behind this is to reduce the cost of over prescribed drugs being ordered. You are meant to wait until you only have seven days supply of any drug before placing an order. Since this virus started affecting the UK, each time I've placed an order, at least three days have passed without the initial approval being issued (it is possible to follow the approval stages using the app). Queued phone calls lasting 40 and 50 minutes have resulted with rapid approvals from operators working from their homes, although it still takes up to three days to reach the pharmacy. The last operator advised me to request repeat prescriptions at least two weeks before they are required during this crisis.

After putting in my repeat prescription requests on 24th & 25th March, I queued up outside the pharmacy for thirty minutes today, waiting my turn to go in to collect the drugs. The pharmacists seemed to be under greater pressure than normal, with boxes of deliveries all over their back room. I think I may request that we go onto home delivery for the duration, although I am capable of making collections myself.

[Barsel]

Have just received a letter from the NHS that says
' The NHS has identified you as someone at risk of severe illness if you catch Coronavirus. This is because you have an underlying disease or health condition that means if you catch the virus, you are more likely to be admitted to hospital than others.'
I was unsure about whether I should go out to pick up my own medications but now I've received this letter, I'm hoping it might be easier for me to get some support if I phone the number that's on the letter.

[pixie374]

Twix //You are meant to wait until you only have seven days supply of any drug before placing an order//

Our GP sent out a text to say that the pharmacy will be taking at least 5 working days now. So, I would order earlier, if I were you.

[bednobs]

hi barsel, can't your son in law help you out with prescriptions?

[dannyk13]

Barsel, I have has one from my GP, one from the NHS, and one from the Government, all more or less saying the same thing.

[Barsel]

Afraid not bednobs. My daughter and her husband are both still in work at the moment and they don't want to risk going into the shops just in case. My daughter gets my food with hers on click and collect so she sits in her car while the driver puts the food in her boot then she comes and puts it on my doorstep. I've spoken to lots of different people on the phone about it, so I'm hoping someone will come up with a solution.

[bednobs]

that's a shame isn't it. It's times like this families should be pulling together :(

[Monalise]

I have received the NHS letter (previously posted), am not included in any of the 'at risk' categories and cannot get an answer from anyone as to why I received the letter in the first place. I finished all treatment for stage 1 breast cancer in April last year. Can anyone shed any light on this please?

[david small]

Yes, no, yes.

[retrocop]

Yes
When registering with the government on-line I received a letter from the government advising me to contact my doctor or hospital consultants and inform them that I have not been placed on the 'at risk' list. I reckon my GP centre and Hospital consultants have enough on their plate at the moment without a begging letter from me to be considered a place at the front of the queue at silly o'clock at Sainsbury. I will survive without their endorsment thanks. :-)
No I do not know of anyone personally who has received a letter.

[ladybirder]

Monalise I'm pretty sure it is because you have finished all your treatment. I am on the extremely vulnerable list not because of my lung cancer op but because I have severe/extremely severe COPD. Once your treatment has finished then it doesn't count anymore apparently.

[Peter Pedant]

yeah I got a letter

I call it my 'goolies' letter;(*) havent been asked to produce it - but I have it ready in a nice clear plazzy envelope - at the ready !

It basically said I had to go into purdah - wivvart the black dress for three months and I havent.

(*) during the pacific war 1943 the RAF were given a letter ( and 12 sovs I think ) that promised the lucky holder than if he delivered the downed airman still in possession of his goolies he would get more gold.

I plan to show it to an officer of the Law on demand and weep in a whiny tone "please, Mr Pulliceman, dont take me to prison!"

My in laws take this more seriously than I but they have had someone croak next door

[Peter Pedant]

erm Hi babies
if you have chemo therapy and sort of recover as in dont die
you may STILL be immuno suppressed

I am on Septrin for PCP and was assured that if I got it again, which was on the cards then I would die
( PCP - pneumocystis carinii - it si the thing Tom Hanks dies from in Philadelphia)