Coronavirus: are people with disabilities being left to starve – in breach of the Tory government’s pledge?
Checkout: it seems the Tory governent may be encouraging people with disabilities to check out of LIFE, after promising to arrange supermarkets to deliver groceries to them and then reneging on it.
Claims that some people with disabilities could slip through a government safety net and be left to starve are understated. Where is the safety net?
According to Disability News Service, the government announced that 1.5 million disabled people had been categorised as “extremely vulnerable” to the virus and would receive regular deliveries of basic groceries if they do not have their own support network of friends and family.
The list includes those with severe respiratory conditions, many people on immunosuppression therapies, and those with certain cancers.
DNS quoted a disabled Baptist minister who raised concerns that people with disabilities who were not on the government’s list would be left to starve to death.
But here’s my concern:
I have family members who qualify for this help – according to the criteria listed by the government – and haven’t heard a single word about regular grocery deliveries for them.
It raises the question: who actually is on this mythical list of people who qualify for such deliveries? Who compiled it? Does it exist at all?
Or is it as fake as the government’s claims about personal protective equipment, coronavirus tests and ventilator supplies?
Remember: the government has ordered the NHS to deny coronavirus treatment to anybody with the disabilities in its list, if they contract it.
This Site would be keen to hear from anybody who has been contacted about receiving deliveries of supplies from supermarkets – on grounds that their health condition qualifies them for it.
Let’s find out the truth of this.
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I have ME, diabetes and other conditions that would make me vulnerable if I catch the virus or don’t eat properly. I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m not on any lists, but I’m a disaster prepper, and my PIP has helped me amass enough dried foods to outlast this. And for fresh or chilled foods to make it more bearable, I have someone in my local CLP who will pick things up from Aldi. Without my PIP and the CLP, I would be screwed, as I am not prepared to take risks, but would have to in order to eat. There have been no delivery slots in over 2 weeks.
I don’t think the lockdown has gone far enough.
I can tell you that I certainly should have received a letter or text but never did.
I applied via Gov.Uk the second it became available and TWO WEEKS later received a text saying they will look into my case and decide my fate.
In the meantime they will forward my details (without my consent) to the private companies operating as supermarkets of their choosing.
And that’s it. (I’ll send you the whole text if you want)
I’m not holding my breath waiting for their help but may need to do just that when I go to collect my own medicines ( 20 items) and essentials (1 bag) next week.
P.S. What happenened to the Bojob £5m vanity letter ?
I haven’t had that letter either.
I saw a tweet from someone saying they’d had it, and berating BoJob for putting public relations over public service, which is something I said in an article last week.
i have 5 serious conditions that make me vulnerable to this virus. asthma , COPD, diabetes. IBS, under-active thyroid some of which are low immunity conditions., i also have spinal spondylosis which adds to my inability to carry heavy bags of shopping. i have been shopping online for around 15 years now but have problems getting slots. slightly easier now they have put some aside for known vulnerable/elderly people. i qualify for one slot per week.i too have never received the letter……….. though after reading today about those on that list especially not being given a ventilator if they need one..that stinks. i am now glad i didn’t get one… but also anyone classed as elderly with underlying conditions may be denied one. luckily our area/village/estate is pretty well organized via their Facebook page and one of our local Councillors will do a full weekly shop for me and others ()including my son who cannot carry heavy bags either or walk as far as a local shop., this Councillor is doing his for him/ in my area others will bring odd items to your doorstep n leave them there. (though still dont know how THEY get paid.. we worked something out for the Councillor thanks to online banking). My daughter however who has 4 low immunity conditions, tried doing her own shopping for a couple of weeks but as things have progressed shes become petrified of going now. so far we have not been able to organise anything for her shopping. she lives in an area of elderly people but shes only 50… but as far as i can tell no one is helping anyone in that area and shes 5 miles away from my area.she is ok for food for another week but it looks like ill have to try do an online shop and include her shopping in with mine then try and get someone to take hers to her. its a right carry on.
Hugosmum
I really feel for you I really do..
it’s like the old frase from Lord Fraud
We are ALL stock like some sort of animal on the block. ie slaughterhouses. . .
And don’t forget the £2 per hour for poor disabled persons. .
I say rot in hell arseholes;. . .
As a person with no spleen, I am unable to fight infections as well as others. One of the infections I have been told I am not going to survive is a pneumococcal infection, from the descriptions that I have heard/read, Covid is similar.
However, I have neither received a letter nor heard about applying for one. I cannot find a link on Gov.uk so what do I do?
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable
one family I know, who have received the letter advising them to stay in, in Northumberland, have received a food parcel. They were on the list as both parents have serious health problems. I have COPD and received the letter to stay in here in Pembrokeshire – but haven’t received a food parcel.
I’m lucky in that I run the Community Fridge in Fishguard and Morrisons in Haverford West have made lots of food available (fruit, vegetables, bread) Two of the volunteers are now helping 80 families with deliveries of food parcels. I’ve turned my car boot into a mini fridge and people can come and help themselves to whatever is available.
I tried to register myself as vulnerable on the gov web site after hearing nothing from them. I received an email telling me to go to my GP but I can’t because I’m having some symptoms and anyway I can’t get there as the DWP took my car. I’m almost out of food and have eaten some very strange combinations. Sweetcorn with peanut butter was horrible but may be appealing after a few days of starvation. And then I will die because my liver are itself when i went on the DWP diet after atos said I could do all the things my doctor’s had confirmed that I cannot do. Now I must eat to preserve the remaining function
Our GP said they are “not allowed” to see anyone and can only speak to people over the phone. Phone triage if you think you have a new problem. Even the vets are seeing animals in a emergency but not the doctors.
I rang my doctors after i signed the form online because i had not received THE LETTER… WAS TOLD BY RECEPTION THAT THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT………. since then i have been told they still havent sent them all out. seems to be they are doing it alphabetically.my surname begins with R, my sisters begins with B. she HAS received a letter last week. so maybe thats the reason some of us havent got one yet.
Hi Mike.
I, like many others, sat back and waited while depleting the reserves in the larder and the freezer.
After reading Gov advice I registered on the Gov site around middle of March as vulnerable (asthma, COPD and drugs for rheumatoid arthritis lower my immune response) I then tried to register on Sainsbury’s but I was not listed as vulnerable ?
Two weeks later the answer was still the same. I had no letter from the NHS and I had registered again on the Gov site (in case of a glitch first time) I then followed the Gov advice and on the 31st March rang my surgery.
I explained that I thought I should be on the vulnerable list and they said a doctor would ring back.. Surprisingly one did only an hour later. After confirming my identity he said ” yes, looking at your records you should be on that list. I will issue a letter and add you to the list but I don’t know if it will do any good. The Gov have requested that we make a list of people like yourself, the problem is that at this moment in time the Gov have asked us to make this list but have yet to tell us what to do with it.”
In three weeks we have had 2 small boxes delivered (about 2 meals worth in each) via some great people from our local Mosque (they really do a lot in our community including a community fridge) and one box (about 1 1/2 meals) from Volunteer Driver Service in Oxfordshire. They say that they did have a few real Gov parcel last week but they went in a couple of hours.
We have not seen a Gov parcel or had anything from them. Around this time (2nd April) my patience was overcome by my anger. I emailed No 10 . I must admit that after three weeks of nothing the anger and fear got the better of me ..
Apr 3, 15:11 BST
[Requester]
Trevor Fox
[Details]
How the hell do I actually get to speak to some lousy crap Tory about the lies. I am Vulnerable and been trying to get a delivery of food for three weeks. I have a letter from NHS. I have registered and yet it’s all a fuck up as usual with you lot. I cant get a delivery from Sainsbury because the crap Government has not given them my details. I checked with my doctor who said “” The Government has asked us to identify vulnerable people and we are to put their names on a list. I have put your name on the list but it wont do much good The Government has not told us what to do with this list so it will go nowhere at the moment “” HOW THE FUCK IS THAT LOOKING AFTER PEOPLE?? Tories, only looking after the rich as usual.
.
I was quite surprise to get a reply
Rhiannon (GDS User Support)
Apr 3, 15:22 BST
Hello Trevor Fox,
The service has received your request and it’ll be processed as soon as possible. In the meantime, you may have to rely on friends, family, neighbours or community groups, if you can, to get your essential shopping.
You can find guidance on shielding and protecting vulnerable people here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19
No real help, but someone had actually read my message maybe.
Yesterday evening I finally manage to get a delivery slot from Tesco. My first actually real chance at some shopping in three weeks. I just have to wait until the end of next week as that was the slot I managed to get. I was just finalising the order when the Phone rang. It was Sainsbury with the message that the Gov had recognised me as vulnerable and could I go onto Sainsbury’s site to finalise my registration.
Coincidence?
I received no other communication from Gov since so maybe I was added to the list – THREE WEEKS LATE.
I shall go onto Sainsbury’s now and see if I can get a delivery slot for about twelve /fourteen days time (as with Tesco I shall order what is needed not like some people it seems getting 2 or 3 deliveries a week and stockpiling :-( )
I have been registered disabled for a long time and getting full DLA (lifetime award) for care and mobility for about 8 years… So why did I have to tell the Gov to list me when they have all those records at their fingertips ?
My good lady is on insulin and all the usual pills for diabetes so we are pretty well trapped indoors.
All I know is that I text my next door neighbor to ask if she would like a mask (i had a shipment arrive this morning saturday) . . she text back to say an elderly relative ( in her 60s) of hers passed away this morning with c*19 & the body is still there (as of 21:45 hours)
I didn’t know what to say as was in shock. . . apparently this relative was already in isolation but still secumbed to the virus.… F**k this Government
playing God . . . I hate them all (Tories)
now we have Keir Starmer as our Labour leader. . . God help us all. . .
I have fibro myalgia, arthritis in both knees, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Don’t know if I should have had any letters but I haven’t. Luckily, I have a good friend who goes around the supermarket for me while I wait in the car. On Friday afternoon I was sitting in Morrisons car park and watched one old man walk to the end of the queue to go into the shop. I say walk hut actually it was shuffle, it took him a good 5 minutes to “walk” about 10 metres. Not much I could do to help but why hasn’t he been given help?
This might help ease concerns – http://inproportion2.talkigy.com/
While there may be an element of truth in this, if it could be used to encourage people to ignore the lockdown, then it will be used to encourage more deaths.
Be sensible and stay safe, please.
RIP. to the person next door ‘s relative whose life was lost to this terrible virus. and all the others. condolences to their relatives.
I am with you on the Starmer leadership result. i thought he was a decent person who felt like i and a lot of others do. this country disgusts me in the way it treats those who this govt sees as plebs. i was a nurse myself 50yrs ago. i started as the polio epidemic had subsided.i remember seeing a young girl in an iron lung in my first year ,though i didn’t nurse her. only specialized nurses could do that. was the only one i saw but there was evidence all around of people who had survived it. some lame. or with deformities. the more i read about Starmer makes me feel so lost….mind you losing Corbyn as we did, with the hope he brought to so many, was devastating. but i still think we lost a kind of saviour in him. i dont particularly like Long-Bailley though,. devil/deep blue sea comes to mind. this country is definitely on the way into oblivion i am sure(or is that nearly 3 weeks in isolation talking?) WE CAN ONLY WAIT N SEE …