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Extra help if on shielding list

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AJLang

AJLang

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
To those who have been added to the shielding list this week and want to follow the advice.. If you need extra help it might be worth phoning your pharmacy to see if they will deliver your prescriptions whilst shielding. Yout local council can also help put you in touch with others who will help with shopping etc
This is a link to a government website that provides further information about support etc
www.gov.uk

COVID-19: guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk

Guidance for people aged 12 and over whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness if they become infected with COVID-19.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
I hate to tell you this AJ, but there is very little if any help for people on the shielding list.
 
In fairness I did have volunteers ring me first lockdown and they collected my prescriptions a couple of times (my pharmacy don’t provide that service). They’ve not been in touch this time round though I could probably pursue it if necessary.
The free grocery parcels (for those who needed them) finished after the first lockdown but I’ve found being on the priority grocery delivery list a real bonus. Asda didn’t charge for deliveries first time round but they all do now (Iceland do free delivery over £35).
 
Now that it is more than three weeks since my first vaccine dose I am willing to pick up my prescriptions (though it is only just past the end of my street), but otherwise they have been grudgingly willing to deliver them.

When I have needed a faster response I have also been able to ask for help on local Covid Aid WhatsApp groups. They are very quiet now, but still there. You can find local groups here.

Local Groups - Covid Mutual Aid

In times of crisis or community needs, local groups have always played a crucial role in fostering solidarity and support. One powerful manifestation of this spirit is the concept of Mutual Aid Groups (MAGs). These groups bring together individuals in a community who are committed to assisting...
covidmutualaid.org

Supermarket delivery slots are still not easy to get, and the help with delivery fees seems lacking this time compared to the original lockdown, but they do still let you get one within a week. And my last two times I have been able to get a next day slot.

If you have the option of Waitrose, they have free delivery over £40 anyway, which is they same minimum for other supermarkets. And their essential range is not really that different from other supermarket's normal own-brand ranges.

Although I have not needed any help from the council, they did contact me again during the current shielding period to check I still did not need any help.
 
If you are blind or partially sighted you can get priority slots at some supermarkets with help from Defra if you go to RNIB website.
If you live in Essex there is the Essex Well-being service 0300 303 9988, can usually get a volunteer to do your shopping.
 
Jade said:
If you are blind or partially sighted you can get priority slots at some supermarkets with help from Defra if you go to RNIB website.
If you live in Essex there is the Essex Well-being service 0300 303 9988, can usually get a volunteer to do your shopping.
Click to expand...
They have been advertising this service from very early on.
 
We’ve got a local community service which has been advertised really well - posters in all the local businesses’ windows, leaflets put thru the door, etc. But as you say @grovesy it depends where you live!
 
Where I live there is a community Facebook page for help for shielders, so worth looking there too.
 
i am with Sue on this i did a post last year that the help was non existent in our area. there was nothing set up for online deliveries for those shielding like the claims been put out on TV. when i did manage to get a online delivery i had to wait a month and couldn't even book a repeat and i had been registered with the company well before the virus was known so much for loyalty. because of no help i had no choice but to venture out every few days to get food for me and my partner who was poorly.

never believe all things you hear been spurted out by companies and the government.
 
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