Apologies if anyone else has mentioned this already. My inhaler and dosage level were in the Asthma UK table on their Covid-19 advice page, which suggested I should be shielding(I didn't get a letter and wasn't expecting to get one). As of today that table and all mention of collaboration with the NHS Clinical Director of Respiratory appears to have been removed without any mention of why.
Has there been an explanation anywhere that I've missed? Or is it that the advice has changed and I no longer need to be shielding but following social distancing instead? I get there's been a lot of confusion when it comes to asthma and shielding, but this is only adding to it. I've arranged a call with my GP this afternoon to ask for advice.
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mjrminor
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I just got off the phone with her. She said I'm classed as Group 2 in the high risk categories (with Group 1 being the highest and those who received letters) and that I should absolutely be shielding because I'm in 2 high risk groups (asthma and rheumatoid arthritis). Although I'd rather not be shielding, I feel relieved to have a definitive answer.
She said my partner should not be going to supermarkets etc. as that's only increasing the risk of infection, but I told her that it seems like you can only get support from supermarkets if you have a letter. She did say that, as far as she's aware, supermarkets are working on supporting Group 2 people and that should be happening soon.
Glad you finally managed to get an answer from your GP albeit the one you probably didn’t want. I am on Fostair 200/6 and on medication for Rheumatoid Arthritis too. I wonder if that makes me group 2 as well. Wondering if I should be calling my GP too. Take care & stay safe x
Maybe you should give them a call to check. I was already shielding anyway as per the previous asthma UK advice, but speaking to my GP and knowing that she's putting me in this group means I should get some support if I need it. Which is good to know seeing I can't even get an online food shop right now. Stay safe x
if you are under the hospital for Rheumatology care you could phone the hospital. My husband did and spoke to a volunteer and has received a letter today outlining what counts as which level of risk.
Anyone with asthma should be isolating from this virus as it attacks the lungs. I started isolating at the beginning of Feb before all this kicked off long before i got a text then letter from the NHS then the .Gov.
You can still get support with help like shopping and medication by registering here. Its a take a while for text to come through to confirm it ( I am also possibly Group 2) gov.uk/coronavirus-extremel...
Thanks for the heads up, I'm in the same boat as you and I've just sent an email to my GP for clarification. Whoever is making these changes should at least explain why. I have been put on furlough by my company due to the advice on their webpage. My GP told me to go by the advice on their web page. I understand these are difficult times, but this constant changing their minds at Asthma UK needs to stop as it is causing people stress, and affecting lives.
I've never been able to find this mythical table and I've been looking for a couple of weeks now. Perhaps it gets taken down for a day or so every so often. I'm expecting a call from my doctor today for some clarification.
I'm exactly the same. My inhalers on the table that's now taken down. Didn't receive a letter. I'm a health care worker and I'm stuck between wanting to help out during this time but then also when you hear people with no underlying health conditions dying it abit scary. I work directly with covid patients. If truly at risk I think they should be sending out letters because makes me feel like I'm chasing it and not truly entitled to it. I think maybe it's been changed because it included too many people and the country wouldn't be able to provide basic services if everyone at risk was shielding 😬
Me too I’m just like you. Health worker not working directly with covid patients but obviously will come across people with it. Normally do home visits or go to schools but not wanting to do these due to risk to self but obviously have to safeguard patients. Not got letter and on seretide lower dose and montelukast and salbutamol. No letter but wondering for work as will be counted as same as everyone else at this rate..... 😫
They keep updating the website due to demand from us lot, and the ever changing advice they are given. They are doing their best to give us what we need to know, but this is a rapidly changing situation, and so the advice will keep changing. 4 weeks ago, they were only just suggesting social distancing for severe asthmatics, that escalated into shielding for severe asthmatics in under 10 days. Then it was for a larger range of asthmatics, and they tried to give the best description they could so that everyone could understand (ie you know what meds you’re on so could work it out) but then advice given to them was changed again, so less people needed to shield, but all asthmatics needed to follow ‘stricter’ distancing rules etc etc. All they’re trying to do is give us info as they get it, otherwise they may not have posted anything until now, when guidelines are a bit clearer, almost a month in to the situation.
As a charity they are doing their best to support us and give us guidance, but all they can really say is ‘if you’re concerned, call 111 or your GP’.
I hope this explains why things have been all over the place.
I completely understand they are trying their best to provide people with information. Theres so much happened in a short space of time and so many decisions to be made. The health service under the biggest strain it ever has been and that's why people are turning to this charity and this forum to see if anyone can provide clarity instead of going to gp. They are doing a great job but due to no fault of the charity, the GP, the NHS or the government there's alot of people unsure of what they should be doing for the best.
I agree with you one hundred percent. My GP told me yesterday that even for her, it's hard to keep up with what's current and what's not as the situation is changing every day. I think Asthma UK is doing a fantastic job of keeping everyone updated and have been helping tremendously in an unprecedented time. What would make things a little less confusing for people who are turning to the Asthma UK for help is if they could maybe add a note when they update their page just to say what's changed and why.
I phoned my GP this morning and I was told that they were not making the decisions about who should receive the shielding letter and that if I was going to get one that I would receive it. This afternoon I read an article on BBC news that said that GP’s are sending details of more that should receive the letter. Very confusing!
The way my GP described it to me was that GPs were handling 'Group 2' - which I guess is the next high risk group down from the extremely vulnerable. Although she said she's putting me in group 2 I don't think it means I'll get a letter, but from what my GP was saying it might mean getting extra support for food deliveries etc. But there does seem to be a lot of confusion at every level because things are changing daily.
My husband has been through similar. It is confusing and you need to persist.
He thought he had registered with the government website, but it didn't 'take'.
It was only after he spoke to a volunteer at the hospital Rheumatology department that they finally sent him a letter. Although he had spoken to the GP and clearly meets the criteria as he has a type of leukaemia (blood cancer) on top of rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes etc. he wasn't marked as high risk on their data base. The GP he spoke to was very helpful and said she would follow it up.
Finally after receiving the letter from the rheumatology dept. he had a letter from the GP! In the meantime he went back to the government website and was able to register ( second time round) as severely at risk and we have now been successful in being prioritised for a supermarket food delivery.
Hope that all of you who need to stay at home manage to negotiate the various entry points successfully. It took him quite a bit of phoning around.
Also worth seeing if there are any local groups to you who have set up groups to deliver things. Although we live in a small hamlet the local village have set up a team of 70 volunteers with the pharmacy to deliver medicines. Such a relief to know we can get all we need at this time.
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Should I be shielding ? 
Another Shielding Update from AUK
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