Hi, i have ET and take 16 hydroxy a week. My boss did a risk assessment at the start of covid outbreak and as gov Scotland stated i was in high risk and should be off for 12 weeks.
I got a phone call from my boss this morning after being off 9 weeks NOW management want my shielding letter which i never got. I was aware there were issues with letters and people being put on the list.
I phoned my GP this morning to be told sorry but the letters come from the gov not us. I found this strange as it would be my GP who identifies me as vulnerable. I've to phone tomorrow and see if GP will put me on list after 9 weeks. Worried sick now I'm going to be asked to go back on the frontline as an NHS Staff Nurse with a blood cancer and taking chemo. 😞 any advice would be great.
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Lainy1
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Hi. There are actually 2 groups in the risk category - high risk and highest risk. The 'high risk' groups should be isolating for the 12 weeks and its only those who are at 'higher risk' who are getting the shielding letters. If your GP feels you should be 'shielding' then they can contact your relevant health board to get you added to the shielding list. You may even be better speaking to your Consultant for advice.
Hi Lainy, My letter was undated but signed by my GP. I suspect the letters are being produced by a government department, even though they are not completely identical, and then sent to surgeries. I don't know this; I am just going on the letters I have seen on HU and there are elements of one size fits all but there are small differences such as dates being included in some and not in others. I think that if I hadn't registered on the government website I would not have got the letter (late) and would not have got slots for home delivery from shops. Have you registered? It's a slowly grinding machine, I'm afraid, so you may have to shout at a few people down the phone. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice, yeah I did register but never heard a single thing. Lucky, my husband has been going to shops but only once every 10-14 days for a huge shop.
Hi Lainy, I just saw that you are in Scotland. I have heard that they do things differently there! It's vital you have this letter for your employer. Perhaps your local council would be able to point you in the right direction.
Hi, gp got back to me today, advised to contact my consultant as gp says I'm in high risk and not shielding group.. Will wait and see what she says. Thanks everyone for advice on this..
My letter has only just arrived. I have been working all way through so feels a bit too late now. I was also picked for the random home testing kit survey so waiting for my result to come through but continuing as normal.
I had the same issue. I'm also in Scotland. My GP was able to add me to the list. My gov letter arrived 4 weeks later. GP was able to produce a letter to keep my employer happy. I also contacted my MSP (I'm unsure if this got my letter to me quicker). At this time, this list was a bit of a mess.
Thanks that's good to know, so if it took 4 weeks for you to get your letter I will most likely be back at work as there are only 3 weeks of shielding left. I'm still confused why management want it now 9 weeks into shielding. I see from reading posts on here that some GP's still don't believe that MPN,s are cancers. Wonder if that's why my GP wouldn't give me a letter ?
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