UK: REGISTER AS A VULNERABLE PERSON TO GET CORONAVIRUS SUPPORT

Sainsbury's took down their link to the site very quickly. I suspect the government suddenly started seeing the list increase dramatically, as many (yes, actual) vulnerable people quickly signed up.

The website given was provided on the letter the NHS sent to my daughter (as my carer), with the suggestion of signing up to the list if help was going to be needed.

 

Call me paranoid but be careful of emails as there are scammers around, best advice is don't click on any links in emails.

 

I had a reply to from my GP regarding the government’s extremely vulnerable list:

So I think my GP has done as much as he can which I’m very grateful for. I will write back to thank him for his support on this. I’ll wait to see if it results in me getting on the list (I don’t think I want to put myself through the stress of phoning the advice line right now - has anyone else tried that?).

Having said that, I’m actually now having second thoughts about whether I even want to be on this list. Given the conversation that has just started about prioritising access to critical care, I’m wondering whether trying to get on the list might in fact be a really bad idea!

 

I found this information from one GP practice's website:

 

I tried to register as a shielded patient and was refused. I gave feedback.

 

They have also changed the official name of this group from the 'extremely vulnerable' to the 'shielded' group! So much for looking after society's most vulnerable members, which my MP has previously told me in relation to PIP, the government are very concerned to do!

 

I had an email from Gov.uk yesterday which says the same. I signed up before the questions changed and the list of conditions was worded more ambiguously. I ticked Yes to having one of the conditions on the basis that I have asthma albeit mildly and get every bug that's going and No to having help getting food and supplies so I'm hoping this means I will be on the list that goes to supermarkets.

 

ah, new task force on its way(?)

 

Here is the letter that has been sent to patients and/or carers of patients on this government list:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavi...2020/03/at-risk-patient-letter-march-2020.pdf

 

Just a thought but how are the really quite well off dealing with the whole not being able to get a delivery slot situation?

Does it even apply to those whose fridges use the IoT to order food for them?

Some of those fridges are big enough so that they could be delivered and installed without anyone involved breaking current social distancing rules. Not here, but to a lot of places.

I can't see people with £10 million houses having to enter the supermarket scrum (or their staff), or having any difficulty obtaining food.

So what are they doing, and can we do that as well.

 

I was thinking about Sainsburys being the supermarket that is at least trying to lead in helping all their vulnerable customers within their own limitations. For those of you who haven't visited a large Sainsburys store, something my out of town one offers (but not the smaller in town one) is free use of power chair shopping (i.e. a power chair with a large basket attached to the front of it). I've never asked to use one myself because if you don't have a carer with you then you would constantly need to ask the help of someone to reach higher up items (which requires cognitive and social energy). I've not seen any other supermarkets offering this service to their disabled customers (Tesco, Asda or Morrisons etc.).

If being on the government list doesn't trigger opening up my online account to delivery slots, I might email the CEO and thank him for what his store is doing, including what they did prior to this current health crisis.

 

Morrisons, sainsburys and tescos all offer this in my town, Other stores may do but my only experience with it is when I occasionally used to either go out with a friend who needed to use them, or heard her tales about it.

I would not be competent to drive one these days, my reactions are too slow, and sometimes the opposite of what's required. The same thing as stopped me driving 25 years ago.

 

probably all have accounts with fortnum and masons and similar establishments
https://www.fortnumandmason.com/t/categories/food-hall

 

My commiserations with everyone having problems which included me until about 5 mins ago.

Here FYI is how I got through to Waitrose. It took a few days for them to read it but I sent a polite email to Waitrose customer service explaining that I was a long standing customer who was reliant on deliveries and gave them my Waitrose card number and my last order number so they could check and see that I have had a lot of deliveries from them in the past.

I explained about ME CFIDS and having PIP for mobility and care and how I was trying to avoid the virus because of my immune illness and also have mobility problems and they have now given me access to the delivery slots. Hooray! Now I can get the stuff I need without having to wear my 3M full face mask in the shop, which makes me look a bit like a post apocalyptic survivalist (I like to think!)

Also sounds like Sainsbury's are being helpful by including elderly people if they know their age from a store account or Nectar account, according to my Mum and Dad.

 

My Sainsburys account is now allowing me to book a delivery slot, which must be due to them having cross-referenced me from the government list. The next 4 days have no available slots but the following 4 days have almost all of the slots available. It seems that Sainsburys are now only opening slots for the 8-10 days immediately ahead. Obviously once they add more vulnerable people it might get harder to book a slot again.

I'm so glad for this forum because despite the reference to the government list in the letter my daughter received, I wouldn't have had the cognition to understand the significance and need to sign myself up to it!

Thank you everyone who has been sharing their experiences and suggestions. The stress I've been suffering from is gradually subsiding now that I know I should be able to get home delivery services again (although not from Tesco...).

 

Submitting the ' extremely vulnerable' application has worked for me.

I did not meet the criteria for 'extremely vulnerable' according to the currently listed conditions.

But I have just received an email from Sainsburys which suggests that that, rather than my letter to their CEO (to which I have not had a reply yet), is the reason why they have now added me to their 'vulnerable customers' list

well......I say it's worked, but I just tried to see if I could book a slot, as I suspect anyone would, and I'm still getting 'not venerable or vulnerable enough - go away'

ETA - I can now see slots, not a lot of slots, (but only in IE, my phone says not vulnerable, and chrome gets a 400 error from their server when I try and log in)but slots this week, a few on sunday and next week friday and saturday only - but I can relax now and stop desperately trying to buy stuff on any occasion I find the system open.

 

Yes, I've just received the same email. It says they will delete this personal information from my record at the appropriate time in the future, but after all this stress I'm going to get them to flag me as a vulnerable customer permanently.

 

Me too! So it's worked.

My advice, then, is if you need it, fill in the form anyway. It is getting passed to supermarkets.

I guess we can be extremely vulnerable enough to get food deliveries without being extremely clinically vulnerable. I'm happy with that.

 

Not sure what to suggest @Trish But given that here https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults it suggests people with chronic neurological conditions are at increased risk from severe illness I think I'd tick Yes - particularly if you're struggling with shopping.