NHS support for diabetics (or lack of it)

[Vicky Keates]

Hello, I'm new to this forum. I'm a 55 year old diabetic type 1 on an insulin pump. I am on an extremely low dose of insulin, and have a history of post-operative and post-viral fatigue. I don't know if this has been discussed anywhere else on this forum (?) but I work in the NHS as a pelvic health physiotherapist. My NHS Trust are not supporting diabetics to stay at and/or work from home. Is this happening to anyone else out there? My GP agreed to sign me off work with stress, which is a first/is annoying to have on my sick record, but given I am stressed by my employer's decision and the current situation, maybe it's appropriate. Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks everyone, stay safe. Vicky

 

[Josh DUK]

Hello @Vicky Keates ,

Thank you so much for joining the Diabetes UK support forum. I am so sorry to hear that you had to be signed off from work because of stress, but it is understandable given everything that's been happening. We have had a few posts from people who aren't feeling supported by their employer and not able to work from home.

There are currently no special rules for people with diabetes (PWD) so the government guidance still allows PWD to go to work but they must stringently follow social distancing measures outlined in the link above or work from home where possible - https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...loyers-and-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19

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

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Vicky Keates

Lots of people are finding themselves in difficult situations during the current crisis, and people with diabetes are understandably worried and anxious about how the current guidance applies to them, and how to assess their own level of risk and the level of support they may need.

Are you a member of a union which might be able to support and advise you?

How long have you been signed off work? And what are you expecting to happen after that?

Is your department still open and operational? Many members here have found that routine appointments have been delayed or deferred during the pandemic.

 

[Vicky Keates]

Thanks for replying, guys.

I just find it incredible that the government recommendations are that employees from vulnerable groups should be strongly advised and supported by their employers to stay at home and work from there if possible, and that an NHS Trust should not follow this.

What makes it more frustrating in my case, is that I have an identical twinsister who also has diabetes, who works in a bank in England, who was sent home/supported in working from home immediately the government made its recommendations! She's lucky. I recently moved to Wales, and sadly to the worse affected region. I'm being made to feel guilty and am having to justify why I am choosing to follow the recommendations and socially distance and stay at home! (I was told that if I had symptoms, I would be allowed to stay at home - which I found extraordinary, as anyone with symptoms should stay at home in any case, and as we know, not everyone with the virus has symptoms!) I know that with my diabetes and past medical history, if I were infected with the virus, I would end up seriously ill in hospital taking up a bed, that they need for other patients.

All of this has made me incredibly stressed. My union rep has not replied to an email I sent. And while my line manager is sympathetic, he has to follow Trust policy.

I am desperately hoping that my GP will continue my sick note whilst this awful situation continues, as I think I am in a no-win situation where I am based.

Finally, let me reassure you that I think the NHS is being absolutely fantastic in the way it is treating its covid-19 patients and I am incredibly proud to work in the NHS. It's purely my Trust's 'support' for staff with diabetes (or lack of it) that I am concerned by.

Thank you for your replies.

Vicky

 

[Sj005a]

Hi I'm new to this as well.
I was due to be tested before all this kicked off.
But as blood tests were cancelled my employer wont let me off work.
As I'm NOT CONFIRMED just possible risk.
How wrong is that.

 

[Davein]

To @Vicky Keates and @Sj005a, I would suggest you send your member of parliament an email expressing your concerns. Whilst many would think that a waste of time, I have had successes with the problems I've experienced and if they (MPs) are not made aware of the huge problems caused by this virus they cannot try to do something about it. Try it.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hope your GP is able to support you @Vicky Keates

As a person with T1, I don’t feel that I am at increased risk of contracting the virus, and I understand that the chances of getting the virus badly, while higher than the general population, are still fairly small.

So I am being very careful with handwashing (rather than gloves or face masks) and I am happy to continue shopping etc, but I am out and about at least once a day with the dogs, plus any other trips out, keeping my distance of course!

I can see it would be impractical to keep 2m apart in your physiotherapy role - but like many HCPs with diabetes, you are having to balance your essential work with your increased risk.

Hope you manage to find a good compromise with your employers, if you do return to work. The more I hear, the longer this new adapted way of living seems likely to last, so I think we all need to find ways to make it sustainable in the medium term. And to keep things ticking over in the meantime.

 

[TeresaD]

Hi, I also work for the NHS, in the outpatients call centre. My colleagues are spaced 3ft apart. I called my GP when I realised I wasn't going to receive a Government letter, and was advised to self certify for a week with stress. I thought this would buy me time to think about my options. After the first week, I called the GP, and was signed off for another 2 weeks, so am due to return to work on Wednesday 15th April. I still don't know what to think. My manager has told me that they have spread us out more, but I still think I would be at risk by returning to work. I don't know if my GP will sign me off for longer if I request it & my colleagues are telling me it's in my best interest to stay home to keep safe.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @TeresaD

Thank you so much for the work you are doing for the NHS. I thought most outpatient services were currently on hold? Though I suppose there are some outpatient appointments which cannot be delayed.

While T1 does add a small amount of additional risk, my understanding is that there is little or no added risk of contracting the virus (particularly if T1 is reasonably well managed). It also doesn’t add to the small risk of having a severe case.

The complicating factor of T1 seems to be the additional concerns during any severe illness of DKA and similar. Particularly at a time when the health service is under significant pressure.

For the vast majority of T1s, I believe sick day rules and a few days of rest will see us through, if we are unfortunate enough to contract the virus.

So it is prudent to continue to be careful about hand washing, and to be careful to keep as apart from people as we can when either working, or doing essential shopping.

Hope they find a way to provide you with a more effectively distanced working environment for when you return for work, and keep washing those hands!

 

[Vicky Keates]

Hope your GP is able to support you @Vicky Keates

As a person with T1, I don’t feel that I am at increased risk of contracting the virus, and I understand that the chances of getting the virus badly, while higher than the general population, are still fairly small.

So I am being very careful with handwashing (rather than gloves or face masks) and I am happy to continue shopping etc, but I am out and about at least once a day with the dogs, plus any other trips out, keeping my distance of course!

I can see it would be impractical to keep 2m apart in your physiotherapy role - but like many HCPs with diabetes, you are having to balance your essential work with your increased risk.

Hope you manage to find a good compromise with your employers, if you do return to work. The more I hear, the longer this new adapted way of living seems likely to last, so I think we all need to find ways to make it sustainable in the medium term. And to keep things ticking over in the meantime.

Hi
Thanks for your reply. I'm glad you don't consider yourself to be high risk, and I certainly don't want to be a scaremonger. We all know our own past medical history and levels of resilience which, in this case, makes us the 'expert patients' - especially if you've been diabetic for a long time (> 40 years in my case). Despite being well-controlled with a good HbA1c, it takes me so long to recover from flu/anaesthetic (a year with post-operative fatigue!) etc I just don't want to risk going through that again. (In fact the reason I was advised to become a physiotherapist working in outpatients was that I caught every single bug going when working on the wards with iller patients (despite washing my hands continually and being hyper-vigilant about infection control - and that was before we had a virus to contend with).) I am also concerned about being admitted (worse case scenario) whilst on such a low dose of insulin on an insulin pump. I have worked in the NHS for years, and so I know how challenging it can be when there are staff/resourcing issues. If it comes to it, I think I will have to resign, which is not what I want to have to do, as I am passionate about my job.
I still haven't heard from my union rep, which is very disappointing.
I hope that this crisis ends as soon as possible, and that people with diabetes get the support they need.
In the meantime, stay safe, everybody.

 

[Vicky Keates]

Hi, I also work for the NHS, in the outpatients call centre. My colleagues are spaced 3ft apart. I called my GP when I realised I wasn't going to receive a Government letter, and was advised to self certify for a week with stress. I thought this would buy me time to think about my options. After the first week, I called the GP, and was signed off for another 2 weeks, so am due to return to work on Wednesday 15th April. I still don't know what to think. My manager has told me that they have spread us out more, but I still think I would be at risk by returning to work. I don't know if my GP will sign me off for longer if I request it & my colleagues are telling me it's in my best interest to stay home to keep safe.

Thanks for replying. I really feel for you and hope you get the support you need. I'm interested to know if you're in England or Wales, as there seems to be a different approach being adopted by different NHS Trusts. It is extraordinary that location and type of employer (eg my diabetic twinsister works for a government bank and she's being supported!) seems to determine whether people with diabetes are supported with staying at/working from home. Good luck. (I like the suggestion by another member that we should write to our MPs...)

 

[TeresaD]

Hi Vicky, I am in England. I did get signed off for another 2 weeks on Tuesday, although I didn't actually speak to a GP. It was done through the receptionist. I'm not feeling that good at present, as my sugar levels are all over the place (mainly high), and it is better in my workplace if you have a longer period off, rather than separate occasions.

 

[TeresaD]

Welcome to the forum @TeresaD

Thank you so much for the work you are doing for the NHS. I thought most outpatient services were currently on hold? Though I suppose there are some outpatient appointments which cannot be delayed.

While T1 does add a small amount of additional risk, my understanding is that there is little or no added risk of contracting the virus (particularly if T1 is reasonably well managed). It also doesn’t add to the small risk of having a severe case.

The complicating factor of T1 seems to be the additional concerns during any severe illness of DKA and similar. Particularly at a time when the health service is under significant pressure.

For the vast majority of T1s, I believe sick day rules and a few days of rest will see us through, if we are unfortunate enough to contract the virus.

So it is prudent to continue to be careful about hand washing, and to be careful to keep as apart from people as we can when either working, or doing essential shopping.

Hope they find a way to provide you with a more effectively distanced working environment for when you return for work, and keep washing those hands!

Hi Mike, the outpatients call centre I work in is like a scond switchboard. We deal with all the calls that nobody wants to take ownership of. Many appointments have been changed to telephone appointments, so they still have to be convenient for the patient. Anyhow, I have now been signed off for a further 2 weeks, as my sugars are currently running quite high, and I'm not feeling too good. I was advised by the Diabetes Nurse to stop Dapagliflozin, as there would be an additional risk for me, and my insulins will also need adjusting, but this is proving a bit difficult at the moment.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Anyhow, I have now been signed off for a further 2 weeks, as my sugars are currently running quite high, and I'm not feeling too good. I was advised by the Diabetes Nurse to stop Dapagliflozin, as there would be an additional risk for me, and my insulins will also need adjusting, but this is proving a bit difficult at the moment.

Glad to hear you are getting a bit more recovery time, but sorry you are having difficulties at the moment. Hope the adjustments to your meds settle quickly and your BGs behave. 🙂