Do I need to Shield due to COVID-19: rheumatology.org... - NRAS
Do I need to Shield due to COVID-19
Please read all recent posts xxxx
Frustrating isn’t it. But I wish NRAS would pin the BRS charts and sxore cards as would save an awful lot of posts! I have asked....
Thank you for this info my partner and I must be amongst the 600000 group as we haven’t received any texts or letters
Thank you Gers. I have been trying to pin this scoring guide but have been unable to do so. There are so many people assuming they should have a letter who are not going to get one. If the NRAS could publish this on this site it would answer everyone's queries. So please people click on Gers3758 link.
To be fair to NRAS it is linked on their pinned post about update on Covid-19, along with a lot of other useful stuff. But it isn’t on the top page so needs a couple of clicks to get there.... Agree it would be useful to have the scorecard pinned by itself.
But this link has been on loads of posts over past couple of weeks.
I know helix that's how I found it. But it seems a lot of people haven't. I am being careful and not going out but l am fortunate in that my husband has been doing the shopping with all the usual safeguarding principles. Hope you are well.
You’re welcome. I must admit I am not a fan of this. Firstly, where are they gaining definitive research and patient data to validate this risk based on a Virus which is months old and appears to be rendering people with no underlying health conditions critically ill.
Point 2 - Guidance only appears to be relevant to Public Health England as Clinicians in Scotland, mine for instance are still verbally advising at least Self isolation with stringent Social Distancing as a minimum so I am unsure the stance other health boards are taking on.
Thirdly and most importantly as this is evident and not conjecture - Different Disciplines within England are approaching Stratification and Scoring differently. So what??
If you have some one in England suffering with Psoriatic Arthritis they could very well be under Rheumatology for the Arthritis and Dermatology for the Psoriasis. If they are let’s say for example only on Entanercept Biologic let’s look at how confusing this becomes on the link below
bad.org.uk/shared/get-file....
This link below is from Chief Medical Officer England
bad.org.uk/shared/get-file....
In summary- very confusing time for NHS, Government and Patients alike. If you think you should be Shielding contact your clinician and discuss your concerns but I suspect it will be some time before this is nailed down correctly and everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.
Stay safe
S.
I agree. There is no one size fits all in this and I think potentially the virus will have morphed into different strains by now. I attend 4 different clinics for different conditions, all of which could fit into the chronic category and each one could have a different strategy based on their own specialism and have no joined up strategy. So we can only use our common sense to determine our risk and really I think we are all at risk whether we have underlying conditions or not. So I will continue to stay in and do my best to social distance myself as much as possible. Many people, as we know, can't stay in because they are employed in an essential service occupation.
I do understand why the UK went for this strategy of locking up the most fragile to reduce pressure but it does seem to have caused inordinate stress.
This letter is essential for those who need a letter for their employer to get furlough, and those who have no-one to help them so need a letter to get food deliveries.
UBut for everyone else can’t we just make our own decision? There are so many individual factors that could tip the balance, and so many unknowns about who is at greatest risk of severe disease that a simple score card needs careful interpretation. And we know our bodies best..
This is very complex territory. There was talk on the bbc about people with suppressed immune systems but nothing direct or exact in terms of shielding, self distancing and so on. I think it's down to common sense really. I am not high risk but I am more at risk than people with no illness. However, we know this virus does not discriminate, we are all at risk. I am not a key worker but if I was, I wouldn't be working without having an antibody test and I know the current situation with that. It's very tricky! This virus appears to be holding the reigns at the moment.
I saw a flow chart done by the BRS and I was in high risk, then a few days later another flow chart appeared and I wasn't. During nras webinar the consultant was asked about going to work. She gave an example of someone on mtx and enbrel(that's what I'm on), said if they were able to work two metres away from their colleagues, the yes they could go to work, if they couldn't do this then not to go to work. It's all confusing.
Hi All. I scored 3 on the BRS risk stratification and received a letter informing me I was in the shielding group three days ago. The letter came from my GP surgery as my Rheumatology team had informed them I was extremely vulnerable to the virus. I hadn’t heard from the Government by March 29th so assumed I wasn’t in the highest risk group despite having used the scoring grid. Most of us with RA are treated by secondary care teams and our prescriptions for the ‘heavy duty’ drugs are not necessarily on our repeats through the GP so there has been a lag whilst the lists have been trawled to identify those of us who would be at the highest risk.
Having had the letter and registered for help as instructed I have now been contacted by most of the supermarkets offering me a priority pass as the Government has released the database of the shielded group’s details to them. Very useful as I live on my own and have been relying on friends for shopping. Fine whilst they’re all well and healthy..........🤔
I think by now anyone who is to be shielded will have been contacted. The bar is quite high - I have friends with all sorts of co-morbidities of varying diseases who are not deemed to be in the most vulnerable category - but apart from being given a bit of extra help by the Government and priority for any treatment, the strict self-isolation would do the trick in most cases.
Hope no-one on the forum contracts this horrible virus. I am a retired nursing sister and would go back and help if I could! Stay safe.
How long from registering did it take for supermarkets to contact you.
Five working days.
Thanks for replying, five days, that's quick.
It was quick! I think the government and the supermarkets geared up and sorted themselves out as it was impossible to get online anywhere. I was fine as I have friends who will do the shopping but if they become ill I would be stuck. Have had three supermarkets offering deliveries ( there are at least six locally ) so it’s very encouraging.
My daughter told me this morning that Asda near where she lives had released loads of slots. I went on the website and looked in our area, all slots gone but they are now showing slots for the next seven days. That got me thinking, I'm wondering if they have got new slots the following week but offering them to people on the vulnerable list first.
Don’t think it works like that though I really have no idea. I have got a priority pass and started shopping straight away so the vacant slots showing up next week wouldn’t be reserved for vulnerable - they’d have them anyway. Suspect they’ve just got more delivery slots as they’ve recently taken on thousands of new pickers and packers. I could be entirely wrong! 🥴
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Covid 19 and RA
