Government Advice – Shielding, Self-Isolation & Social Distancing/Stay at home
The basic, high level, advice which applies to everyone can be found on the GOV.UK webpage -
Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do - https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
The government advice covers 3 levels of action.
- Shielding – this is to protect people who have specific medical conditions (which does not include diabetes). They are described as “extremely vulnerable” and have to stay inside, at home, for the next 12 weeks. They should each have received a letter with specific information from the NHS by 29th March 2020.
Full details are in -
Guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 – https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ng-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19
The government advises that visits to provide essential support with health or social care should continue & people who are shielding use family and friends to get shopping, medicines etc. People who are unable to do this can register to receive help on the webpage -
Get coronavirus support as an extremely vulnerable person - https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable This is only available to people who are extremely vulnerable. The service is not for people self-isolating.
- Self-isolation – this is for people with confirmed or suspected coronavirus and anyone living with them. Broadly, this means staying at home for 7 days from the start of symptoms (14 days if you are living with someone who has coronavirus) but the start dates can vary.
Importantly, some people might be recommended to “self-isolate” by NHS 111 or by their GP even though they do not meet the criteria set out in the government guidance.
Full details are in–
Stay at home: guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection – https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection .
- Social distancing and Stay at home – this is for everyone else and broadly means staying at home and keeping away from other people to reduce the risk of infection
Full details are in –
Guidance on social distancing for everyone in the UK and protecting older people and vulnerable adults – https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults and
Full guidance on staying at home and away from others – https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...dance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others
It is important to be aware that there are no “special” rules for people with diabetes. They only fall into the shielding category if they also have one of the specified medical conditions or the self-isolation group if they, or a household member, has coronavirus symptoms or they have been advised to self-isolate by their Health Care Professional or NHS 111.
The only specific mention of diabetes is in the social distancing guidelines where it is listed as one of the underlying health conditions which make people
“at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) [so they need] to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures.”
Medical Help/Advice
- Diabetes UK - Updates: Coronavirus and diabetes - https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/coronavirus As well as general information, our webpage covers:
- What to do if you have coronavirus symptoms
- If you have hospital and GP appointments
- If one of your healthcare team is diagnosed with coronavirus
- How coronavirus can affect people with diabetes
- Insulin, medicines and diabetes tech
The last section is particularly important as we often get calls from people concerned about medication supply issues and it gives our “official” position.
This webpage also links to our webpage -
Staying at home and managing diabetes - https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/staying-home which has useful information on emotional wellbeing, what to eat and how to be active whilst staying at home.
This is a quick & useful guide to what might trigger a hospital admission and who gets to stay at home to recover. It also highlights that only people admitted to hospital are actually being tested at the moment.
Healthcare Workers
- We have had numerous calls from healthcare workers with diabetes concerned that they are being put at risk because of working in an environment with possible increased exposure to coronavirus. There is nothing specific covering people with diabetes but a risk assessment should be carried out and the possibility of re-deployment discussed for all “health and social care staff at high risk of complications from COVID-19” which would include people with diabetes.
Support for this can be found in
”Infection prevention and control guidance for pandemic coronavirus” a PDF document which can be downloaded from the GOV.UK webpage -
COVID-19: infection prevention and control - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control
At page 33, in the section “Occupational health and staff deployment”, it says
“A risk assessment is required for health and social care staff at high risk of complications from COVID-19, including pregnant staff.” And goes on to say that employers discuss with people at risk
“the need to be deployed away from areas used for the care of those who have, or are… suspected of having, COVID-19” (Information accessed 26/03/2020 – confirm still current before using)
Employment Issues
At present, many of the calls we are getting are around employment issues. This is a difficult area, partly because key terms are poorly defined or inconsistently used across different parts of the government website.
- Vulnerable/ extremely vulnerable – many calls are from people who are unsure what category they fall into between ‘at risk’ and ‘extremely vulnerable’. Unless the person with diabetes has another underlying health conditions that puts them in the ‘extremely vulnerable’ category they are still being advised to stringently social distance themselves using these guidelines - https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults
If they have another underlying health conditions that puts them in the ‘extremely vulnerable’ category they need to follow the shielding guidance -
https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ng-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19
Obtaining Food & Medicines
We also get calls from people without family or friends, struggling to get food or medicines when self-isolating or shielding. The help we can give may be limited as we will not know what is available in their particular area. However, there are some general points we can give them.
General
Carers UK has useful information for people caring for others who are concerned about how to cope with coronavirus. Details can be found on their webpage -
Coronavirus guidance - https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/health/looking-after-your-health/coronavirus-covid-19
Government - copies of all the government guidance on COVID-19 (currently 246 documents) can be found via the
Guidancelink at the bottom of the
Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do - https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus page. Given the volume of information it contains, this is a “last resort” source, if you cannot find information elsewhere or want to check if the government have issued guidance on a particular topic.
Coronavirus FAQ
Advice for Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland
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Workplace Issues
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on drivers’ hours relaxations -
https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ovid-19-guidance-on-drivers-hours-relaxations