Just a quick question please…when you are on the DMards do you get Covid testing kits?
I have a carer for 9 hours a week who will not have either the flu , shingles or Covid vaccines. I contacted the Local Authority to ask for PPE and when they brought the masks they told me that the Council had thrown away all test kits as they now have no legal obligation to give them to carers.
I pay for my care £360 monthly plus provide lunch etc when we are at the hospital for hours so I might now have to buy testing kits too. I have emailed the Local Health board for their advice and comments but I suspect I will get no joy. It beggars belief that they seem to have no consideration for people with compromised immune systems or responsibility for the people they send into peoples homes. I wonder if it is different outside Wales?
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CecilyParsley
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I get free Covid tests from my pharmacy They check my prescription records and because I am on DMards I am able to have a box of free. I don’t know how often I can have them and I m not sure every pharmacy do this but it is government approved. I would suggest you ask your pharmacy if they do it and if not who does in your area.
Good Morning. If you get a letter from a doctor you are entitled to covid testing kits free. I am on steroids azathioprine and DMARDS so my chemist just makes me sign a form. Go and discuss this with your pharmacist.
On a side note, should your carer actually be a carer for a vulnerable person if they refuse to be vaccinated?
I know that my carer is putting me at risk by refusing to be vaccinated and it is breaking my heart. When she started with me I had little in the way of a life, stuck at home alone, unable to drive because of dislocating kneecaps, constantly ending up on the floor for hours until my husband returned from work. She changed my life and we have had an incredible friendship this past nearly nine years. I love her dearly and this decision she has made has caused me significant distress. I am torn between saving my physical or mental health. I know that sounds drastic but it feels like the end of the world to have to lose her. We will still be friends always I know but it will nit be the same xxx
This is going to sound awful, but if it was me, in these circumstances, I think I might find myself a different carer. I did use to get test kits (although nowhere near enough of them) but have not done for more than a year now. I am in Wales.
No it doesn’t sound awful. I know that you are right but she is so much more than a carer, she has become family to me. Her decision has hurt me deeply but now there are no obligations to even get tested I cannot insist on a carer that has been vaccinated according to the Local Authority so I could finish her on three months notice and then end up with another carer not vaccinated. It is a worry xx
I’m sooo sorry to hear of your dilemma. I fully agree that everyone who goes to care for a patient needs to be immunized and you should be supplied with free Covid test kits. Why throw them out when they could be stored and then passed onto those in need via request. What a waste…Covid will always be around and testing is always going to be needed. I hope someone will listen to your valid inquiry and plea for help.
Just prayed for you my friend. Hope you issues will be sorted soon.
Hi CP. If you Google who gets free covid tests it will lead you to either the nhs site or gov site where it will tell you which pharmacy's you can get free tests from. There are 3 in your area. I agree with the others though no vaccines no carers job...she has the potential to make you very ill and it is unfair of her to expect work from someone so vulnerable especially as she also works in a busy public place. I know she is a valued friend and your company but your health is very fragile just now and you have to put it first ....you are ill enough already is it worth the risk of adding to it ? Big hug 🫂 xx
Thank you so much for letting me know. I have just rung my local pharmacy and after the staff member ( who did not know what Dmards were, told me they didn’t do tests, ask if I wanted a vaccination, never heard of Aza ) asked the Pharmacist I was told to get a letter from the GP and I can have free tests. Hoorah. I would think my carer should have them too surely? She should be classed as a health professional?
I do understand what you are saying but I am really struggling with the prospect of losing her as a carer. You know the situation at home. She keeps me sane xxx
Just collected a box filled out form with name address and dob.Yes I do and I know she does but as she does no personal care it would still be a no from me. I hope she dresses in full ppe as she maybe a carrier of a bug without knowing it. Let's just pray you stay bug free and dont end up in hospital. X
HelloMy personal thoughts, as someone who is on biologic therapy and high risk- if you go out and about and go to hospitals etc you are open to the environment and all the germs that circulate.
It's a very personal choice about vaccination and she should not have to disclose her immunisation status.
I will never have a flu vaccine, my personal wishes, I have never had one
I will never have another covid vaccine as my life has not been the same since a reaction to my first. The big pharmacy companies and those who administer the vaccines are making a fortune!
I'm not anti vaccines at all but feel that so much emphasis has been put on vaccines and testing. I keep clean, wash my hands regularly, use hand gel regularly and avoid anyone who is obviously ill, but i did that before Covid and biologic therapy.
I will not limit my life by not giing out, or avoiding people who are not vaccinated, i dont ask,many people in restaurants theatres may not be vaccinated and indeed carrying viruses that they are unaware of.
Enjoy the relationship you have with your carer, avoid ill people. Are those testing kits accurate?
If she had told you she had had the vaccines you would not worry, ignorance is bliss
No Sue sorry but she had a chest infection and wanted to work which was why this issue first arose. She has no comprehension of the risks to me and minimises everything sadly. I refused to have her come to the house and of course because I am her employer and she works under 10 hours she will not be paid. I tried to enquire about her carrying her hours over as my substitute carer refused to come near me because of the Dmards.
As an asthmatic I have always had the flu jab, the pneumonia jab without incident. I have had every COVID jab, my choice. The fact that she refuses to get vaccinated does upset me but mainly because of the ramifications for me. I have been to pottery today and everyone wore masks, I used sanitiser, wiped down equipment and felt safe enough. Like you I will not sit in the house and not live. The entire reason I am trying the Dmards is so that I regain a quality of life that I have not had this year , however that I want to prioritise my health and my dear friend does not is a cause of huge distress and concern for me.
Saying that I would not worry if she had had the vaccine is quite a trite thing to say and an assumption on your part. I would never be complacent nor am I stupid. There are no guarantees but I will not apologise for wanting to keep myself as safe as possible.
You don't have to apologise, we all want to be safe and well, it's entirely your decision whether to employ her, and hers to be vaccinated or notYou did not make it clear that she had a chest infection
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