There’s no such thing as a shielding extension letter – that’s the message from an Isle of Wight GP.
The official end of the 12-week shielding period comes in 8 days, on 30th June, but worried Islanders have been taking to social media to find the truth about shielding extension letters — something Dr Hugh Trowell said is a ‘figment of people’s imaginations’.
Dr Trowell, a GP at The Bay Practice, which covers Shanklin and Sandown, said the practice has been getting a flood of phone calls asking about getting a letter from your doctor to extend the shielding period but when patients are told there is no such thing, they get aggressive.
He said:
“It is difficult because there is so much information flooding out from everywhere but as a far as I or any other doctor that I have spoken to can determine, and there is nothing on the government website about it, it is a figment of people’s imagination.
“I suspect there may have been people who have said ‘I want to carry on shielding, I don’t want to come back to work’ and employers have said well if you can get a letter from your doctor then they will allow you to but this has gone through the urban myth mill and come out as a mistaken fact that a doctor will give you a letter to extend it which as far as any of us can tell is not the case.
“We have certainly been getting quite a few phone calls every single day, which is a great waste of time and the difficult thing is people phone reception and they say ‘no’, as they have been instructed to say no, we get aggro as a result and then they demand to be put through to the doctor which uses more time.
“Patients need to know that we don’t know anything and we cannot provide a random, unstructured letter with no scheme to back that up.”
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Shielding remains in place for those who are the most vulnerable and could be at most risk to coronavirus, however, it was announced yesterday evening that from 6th July those shielding can spend time outdoors and with others, with the whole shielding concept ending on 1st August.
Dr Trowell says it has been very difficult to deal with the evolving situation. He said:
“In the early days of shielding, it was a complete and utter mess, which is understandable to some extent, but you do need to tell us doctors what the plan is at least five minutes before the government announce it to everyone.
“It is very difficult because it is an evolving situation — our knowledge in the medical profession of this illness has been changing over the weeks as well as the understanding of who is at risk and who isn’t.
“But patients don’t like uncertainty so that makes it very difficult for patients who are understandably frightened and concerned about their own health but we have to play within the rules.
“Please don’t ask your doctor for an extension letter because there is no system that we have been informed of yet but follow the governments guidance on it and look at their website for guidance.”
Nobody I know has been able to get a GP out of his hidey-hole in weeks. ‘We’re shielding’ is always the answer. This has led to people who are seriously worried getting seen by staff with far less knowledge than a GP, or being asked to send in photos (not sure how you examine one of those for blood pressure, etc) or in desperation visiting St. Mary’s A&E. As usual, nurses and reception staff have been doing a magnificent job, but GP’s seem to have furloughed themselves on full pay for the duration.
We just received my husbands letter so ??
I also had a letter from Matt Hancock saying i have to stay shielded until Aug 1st but I can sit in garden with up to 6 people
Mine said 1st of August as well but allowed out from 6th July
I have had my letter from Matt Hancock shielding ends on 6th July with restrictions
No shielding does not end on 6 th July we are allowed to meet up with 6 people in the garden and if you are single person or single parent with children you can produce a social bubble with one family member or a friend and it has to be same person all the time. It’s what everyone else was allowed to do that were in lockdown afew weeks ago. Shielding ENDS on 1st August where you can then go back to work as long as it is Covid safe.
New letter regarding Shielding from Matt Hancock and Robert Jenrick (Minister of State for Housing Communities and Local Government received today. 4 pages of new advice and regulations. It says it will also soon be available on Gov.UK in different languages & formats. Also available in large print from RNIB on 0303 1239999. So I guess if you had the previous letter then you will get this one too.
From Matt Hancock yes, but people cannot get a letter from their own GP. Why get all shitty and aggressive, it’s not their fault.
I have received a government letter outlining what I can do, as someone who has been sheilding for 3 months, from the 6th of july. Then what I can do from the 1st of aug. Including going back to work. This letter states to your employer that you can not work until the 1st of aug and the workplace has to be a safe place for you to return..
This rumour was started weeks ago by unscrupulous employers all over the country who told people, wrongly, that they had to come back to work unless they had a ‘extension letter’ – that didn’t exist. Or take unpaid leave. Nasty people. The government should put a stop to this. But they won’t.
Letters have been sent out by the Dept of Health and Social Care regarding shielding until 31 July 2020, my partner received one yesterday. It’s has nothing to do with GPs.
Funny I received my 2and letter from government
There is an extention letter till 1st aug cause ppl are now getting them so he dont no what hes talking about and you can use it as proof for your workplace