Cancer, asthma and transplant patients dropped from Covid shielding list by text message – The Sun
TRANSPLANT patients as well as cancer patients and asthma sufferers have been dropped from the government’s shielding list before doctors were able to speak to them.
The Shielded Patients List (SPL) was put in place to help the most vulnerable during the Covid-19 pandemic but some patients have now been informed by text message that they are no longer on the list.
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The message has caused upset for many patients who have been receiving government parcels and many have been left wondering how they will cope.
One social media user said her 12-year-old grandson had been dropped from the service.
She claimed the family then called their GP who said they had made “no such recommendation” and that they should ignore the message.
"GET HELP IF YOU NEED IT"
Many had first believed the message to be fake, but the government confirmed that the messages were official.
The text message being sent to many on the list reads: “This is an update from the National Shielding Service. We understand that your GP or hospital clinician has recommended that you no longer need to follow government advice to shield.
“If you are receiving food delivered via the National Shielding Service, these will now be stopped. This will not affect your eligibility for a supermarket priority delivery slot of any slots you already have in place”.
The message then gives links to the government coronavirus support site as well as urging people to still get medical help if they need to.
Those suffering with conditions such as decompensated cirrhosis and those who have had liver transplants and others who are on immunosuppressant medication have also been taken off the list.
The messages were sent out last Friday and charities have now complained to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Reports dated May 15 suggest that 3.96 per cent of the population were on the shielded list, around 2.2 million people.
1.1 million of which are between the ages of 18-69, the biggest majority, while 952,027 are over 70 and 92,663 are 18 or under.
It is not yet known how many people have been removed from the list following the government’s latest move.
On April 10, NHS England penned a letter to GPs asking them to update their shielding list for accuracy.
Speaking to The Guardian, Labour MP Kizzy Gardiner said vulnerable people have now been left with unanswered questions and are asking if they should have even been on the list in the first place.
She questioned what has suddenly changed that allows them to go out safely.
The text messages should have been sent after a conversation had taken place with a GP or consultant.
The British Liver Trust has advised people to continue to shield even if they do receive a text message and to wait until they have spoken to their GP.
The government said it was committed to supporting the clinically vulnerable and that all decisions about whether or not people should continue to shield were “clinically led”.
“In some cases health experts have advised that a patient no longer needs to shield themselves from coronavirus. Where this is the case, the person will be informed that they are not on the shielded patient list.
“Those advised that they no longer need to shield may still access forms of support including the NHS Volunteers network, and will retain their supermarket priority delivery slots.”
The Sun has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care in order to determine how many patients received the text message last week.
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