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Vulnerable or nit

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G

Gedge

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I was advised by my gp pharmacist that I should self isolate. I have Diabetes Type 2, have had it for 15 years. 18 months ago my blood sugarscat my annual review was 94 so very out of control. I now have them down (as of december 2019) to 60 and still falling. Was due for a review last week. I have high blood pressure for which i take Ramipril. I take Folpix (Felepodine) 1 daiky, Metformin 2 per day, Glyclazide 2 in the morning and 2 at night and dapaglifozin once per day. I have also had kidney problems and take Stimvastatin. I also have acute fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrone, arthritis and waiting for 2 new knees and hip. With this in mind i am as per advice self isolating as vulnerable, i am 65. My husband is 2 yrs off 70 and recoering prostate cancer. Imagine my surprise sainsburys on line refused my order as I am not on their list from the government as being vulnerable. They offered me cluck and collect at sainsburys nottingham which is 25 mikes away a 50 mile round trip!!i am not able to drive that far. What am i supposed to do!!?
 
There are many people in your situation, some are members of the forum. Are there no covid-19 mutual aid groups in your area?
I've seen many TV reports now featuring the plight of the vulnerable people such as yourself who fall below the extremely vulnerable group so maybe action will be taken. Try your local council they maybe able to point you in the right direction if they cannot help directly. We also have a charity called Cornwall Volunteers which is accepting requests for help. The NHS Volunteer service which recruited 750000 volunteers to help those isolating started today but I've no idea if you can contact them for help or whether they just go on the gov database.
 
In our area, community centres, churches and charitable groups such as the Lions are all organising shopping and other errands for people who want to self isolate but who don’t come under the 'specially vulnerable' list. Try those groups, or your local Citizens Advice, or local town /village websites to find out what’s in your area.
 
Yes thankyou both. We have Bottesford Helping hand, Bottesford Community Group and Good Neighbour Scheme. I suppose my point was Sainsbury's cannot make that decision and i shop on line with them regularly. Just trying to stick to the stay at home guidance!
 
Robin said:
In our area, community centres, churches and charitable groups such as the Lions are all organising shopping and other errands for people who want to self isolate but who don’t come under the 'specially vulnerable' list. Try those groups, or your local Citizens Advice, or local town /village websites to find out what’s in your area.
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I am actually involved in a couple of those myself co ordinating.
 
Gedge said:
Yes thankyou both. We have Bottesford Helping hand, Bottesford Community Group and Good Neighbour Scheme. I suppose my point was Sainsbury's cannot make that decision and i shop on line with them regularly. Just trying to stick to the stay at home guidance!
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I do get your point. Those able to actually shop in store should actually do that and leave the online slots for those who are self/socially isolating who genuinely cannot get to shop instore. The big supermarkets should have a better system in place in order to help ALL vulnerable persons and not just those on the gov database.
 
Gedge said:
I was advised by my gp pharmacist that I should self isolate. I have Diabetes Type 2, have had it for 15 years. 18 months ago my blood sugarscat my annual review was 94 so very out of control. I now have them down (as of december 2019) to 60 and still falling. Was due for a review last week. I have high blood pressure for which i take Ramipril. I take Folpix (Felepodine) 1 daiky, Metformin 2 per day, Glyclazide 2 in the morning and 2 at night and dapaglifozin once per day. I have also had kidney problems and take Stimvastatin. I also have acute fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrone, arthritis and waiting for 2 new knees and hip. With this in mind i am as per advice self isolating as vulnerable, i am 65. My husband is 2 yrs off 70 and recoering prostate cancer. Imagine my surprise sainsburys on line refused my order as I am not on their list from the government as being vulnerable. They offered me cluck and collect at sainsburys nottingham which is 25 mikes away a 50 mile round trip!!i am not able to drive that far. What am i supposed to do!!?
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Hello @Gedge ,

You may find it helpful to fill in this government form. They help with medicine and groceries and will pick it up for you.

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
 
Unfortunately, that won't help, Josh, I've tried it. There are strict limitations on who gets on that list, and @Gedge doesn't have any conditions that qualify. I cant even get on it, because my asthma isn't bad enough and I've never been hospitalised for it. I'm in a wheelchair and can't get to a supermarket. I always shop for groceries online - until all these fit people blocked all the delivery slots. @Gedge is clearly vulnerable, but not by the lights of the government.
 
if you live in England you can register a vulnerable on the gov.uk site, which is where the supermarkets are getting their info. also write to your mp.
 
You are only able to register if you are in the extremely vulnerable groups with a letter. There must be millions who are physically disabled/have mental illness and are vulnerable but don’t fall in the categories that can register on the Gov.uk site. I’m in that group partially sighted, leg in a cast on crutches, revoked driving licence, Tesco have cancelled my monthly delivery plan payments as there are no slots available. I really hope those that need to shield are able to get delivery slots.
 
I am so fortunate living in my north Essex village. A card was dropped through my door directing me to a FB page and had a phone number on the back. The group covers 4 villages and offers help to anyone stuck. Although I'm a youngster at a mere 64 I apparently was given a card as I live alone. I manage to visit Tesco during their "elderly hour" and offer to help and on two occasions have been helped myself.
It's worth checking out FB and Google as there may be similar in your area. Just a matter of finding it.

HTH
Paul G
 
Wouldn't your husband fall into the vulnerable group as being a recovering cancer patient?
 
We are lucky as we have three daughters who are doing our shopping for us but I did manage to get a Click and Collect with Tesco on Monday. It was obviously a fluke, someone must have cancelled just as I logged on. This “ letter” telling people they must shield seems to be coming in waves from what I can gather from a local Coronavirus support group on FB. I started panicking yesterday as someone who was a spleenless diabetic had got one! I definitely don’t want one, I want to be able to go out for my daily constitutional and not have to sit at a window opened up a crack! I’m hoping she is a “new” spleenless diabetic whereas I’m an old hand at it of 12.5 years! Would it be naughty to ignore the letter if you do get one? Asking for a friend!
 
brisr949 said:
Wouldn't your husband fall into the vulnerable group as being a recovering cancer patient?
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For those that have had cancer it depends on their current treatment and what cancer they have had. Not all are included in the shielding group.
 
eggyg said:
Would it be naughty to ignore the letter if you do get one? Asking for a friend!
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One of the daily briefings I caught during the last couple of days said that they understood that some of the extremely vulnerable group would not wish to self isolate, the example given was people with a diagnosis of terminal cancer who wanted to spend their time with their loved ones. But the thrust of it was, that it was something people were being asked to do, not told they must.
 
Really sorry you‘ve had this frustrating experience. It certainly doesnt seem to be a joined up system, and people are being given individual advice, based on their particular circumstances, but then finding that it doesn’t fit with an automated process designed around the basic (inflexible) criteria.

You are certainly not the first new member to join having been told 2 different things by different ‘official’ sources :(
 
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