Hospital appointment while shielding?

[hells456]

I was diagnosed with PBC a few months ago and my consultant is trying to get it stable. A couple of weeks ago my liver nurse called to tell me they were shutting the department and going to work on the wards, but were keeping an eye on the tricky patients. She told me to go in for a blood test and said she would phone me with the results or next steps a week later. This morning I got a text with an appointment to go and see my consultant next week.

I have had a shielding letter from the NHS, so I don't know what's worse, not getting on top of the liver stuff or the risk of going in. Would my consultant know I'm shielding? I presume the appointment is important as they are seeing me late around working elsewhere in the hospital and wanting me to come in instead of ringing. What would you do?

[CarpeDiem11]

My Consultant has only done telephone calls, so I would assume if they want you to come in, they deem it to be absolutely necessary. Personally I would call the hospital/liver nurse and ask them what arrangements are in place for your safety. It is highly unlikely that they would not know you are in the shielding category, but again just ask the question. My Consultant has told me to avoid the hospital, so if they asked me to come in, I would assume they are feeling that they cannot remedy things over the phone, but I must emphasise, I have spoken to my Consultant a few times now (I have a lot going on) and this is my own experience. Good luck and call them

[Hidden]

Good afternoon hells456,

The current guidance re shielding and hospital appointments is taken from this document :

gov.uk/government/publicati...

and states :

'Everyone should access medical assistance online or by phone wherever possible.

However, if you have a scheduled hospital or other medical appointment during this period, talk to your GP or specialist to ensure you continue to receive the care you need and determine which of these appointments are absolutely essential.

Your hospital may need to cancel or postpone some clinics and appointments. You should contact your hospital or clinic to confirm appointments.'

I do suspect that they feel it is necessary or they would have arranged a telephone consult - but as the guidance suggests- perhaps you can confirm with the department??

You can also call our nurse led helpline on 0800 652 7330 Mon-Fri 10am-3pm if you should like to talk it through.

Take care,

Trust9