Access to nMAbs & Antivirals

Hi @Beebusy I am not computer savvy to share links and I am not sure I am getting the priority one, but it was a standard letter that we should have received I found somewhere.
Sorry I cannot help more.
Let us know if you hear back from your GP.
Take care of yourself

I didn’t realise the CEV category had actually been scrapped (although I knew shielding had ended of course).

Glad they have you down correctly as High Risk …… but I’m a bit confused now; I thought the reason people hadn’t had their letters was because their coding was wrong? But your coding is correct and yet you haven’t had a letter?

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Yes, @Ruth that’s what my GP receptionist said.
Yes, I am more and more confused too.

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Hi @Ruth

Clinically extremely vulnerable

People are no longer being called clinically extremely vulnerable.
Some people who were previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable are still considered at high risk from COVID-19

[Read the guidance for people previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable on GOV.UK]
I googled it and I hope this helps

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Thanks for clarifying. Maybe I just missed it, but I think that was slipped in under the radar! Hubby got ‘end of shielding’ letter - but it did not say ‘end of CEV’ as far as I can see.

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@Erica and @Beebusy this is what it says in the letter and the link it signposts to -

If you get coronavirus symptoms and don’t have a PCR test kit at home, you can still get
a PCR test by phoning 119 or visiting Get a PCR test to check if you have COVID-19 - GOV.UK

Please be assured that Blood Cancer UK are trying hard to clarify the situation around access to a priority PCR test and the role of this in the process. We will be sure to keep the blood cancer community updated. Just to let you know our Health Info team are also drafting a letter for people to share with their healthcare teams. I will share it on here as soon as it is published.

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I have emailed Vicky Foxcroft MP, Shadow Minister for Disabled People, who previously raised issues regarding the problems around access to third vaccines about the issues raised here and have copied her the link to this topic. It may be worthwhile for those who have written to their local MPs and received
no response, or an unhelpful reply, to forward them to Vicky Foxcroft at vicky.foxcroft.mp@parliament.uk . I will let you know what the response is.

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Well done Paul. We have an email ready to go to our MP (John Redwood) and Mr ‘Aren’t We Doing Well’ Javid. Not sending it today because I have a feeling, with all the fuss about Boris’ bring-a-bottle’ party, it might not get their full attention!

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Thanks for the link Alice; I’ve just ordered one for my husband. I know it’s not priority, just standard, but at least it’s something. Going through the process also told me where the nearest drive-in testing centre is, which is something I was struggling to find.

Thank you BCUK for all you’re doing to try and sort out this mess!

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Hi @Ruth I ordered mine yesterday afternoon and it arrived this morning, I have to say all types of kits have really been prompt, credit where it’s due.

Well he’s under house arrest till he gets his booster on 28/1 (and finishes the decorating :joy:) so there’s no rush. I know it won’t get priority testing but at least we don’t have to wait to get it.

Still no response from our GP, so if nothing heard by weekend we’ll remind them - and he’s going to ask for a telephone appointment if necessary. We had intended to send email to MP & Mr Javid today - but decided they might have their thoughts elsewhere with all this party business! But we will send it in a couple of days.

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I have received a response from Vicky Foxcroft’s admin officer, who told me Ms Foxcroft has written to Javid regarding similar problems experienced by one of her constituents and is “planning” to raise concerns around access to antivirals in Parliament in the next week. Also, Andrew Gwynne MP is now taking the lead for clinically extremely vulnerable people within his role in the shadow Health team and Ms Foxcroft “will be working closely with him to improve access to antivirals and other issues affecting clinically extremely vulnerable people in the UK.”

I will forward my email to Vicky Foxcroft’s office to Andrew Gwynne’s so hopefully he can see first-hand from this forum topic, the problems being experienced around this issue.

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Well done Paul; it’s good to see somebody in HoC trying to do something about this.

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The use of the word “planning” does not inspire me with a great deal of confidence but we shall see. I have now also emailed Andrew Gwynne and sent him the link to this forum topic, so hopefully something useful may come of it.

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Do you think we should copy Andrew Gwynn into the email we’re going to send to our MP?

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I don’t think it would hurt to:do that: gwynnea@parliament.uk

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Well the PCR Test I ordered for my husband arrived this morning. Obviously it’s just a standard test and, if ever needed it could well be quicker to drive him to nearest drive-in testing centre - but it’s slightly reassuring to have it. Of course, I expect I’ll now be inundated with reminders that we haven’t returned it!

Still no response from GP. It’s quite possible he’s checked medical file and coding is correct - but a quick response would be useful, so a ‘nudging’ email is on tomorrow’s list! Today’s list is entirely taken up with painting the smallest bedroom a delightful shade of green; the sooner it’s done the better because the other bedrooms now look like something you see on those documentaries about hoarders :joy::joy:

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Oh @Ruth I am impressed with painting your smallest bedroom, you put me to shame.
At least it gives your mind a bit of a break from Covid and isolation. Brilliant

Oh don’t be too impressed; we’ve been in the house over 17yrs and only just got round to doing it :joy:. Never had time before …. we used to have this thing called a life!

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It seems to me that the Dept of Health/ NHS make their processes too complicated, with the very real risk that sick people miss out.

A simpler and quicker way of doing this could be something like this:

a) a new option for immunocompromised people to call to talk to medical staff who have access to the antivirals is set up on 119

b) call 119 if you have Covid-19 symptoms and a positive LFT

c) the job of the medical teams on 119 is to make sure that callers are entitled to the antivirals and to organise the delivery of the most appropriate drugs

The benefits of this approach would be that it is quicker and patients get access to the antivirals within the critical first few days, delays of waiting for PCR tests to confirm the result are removed, it’s a solution for everyone and those who have been missed off the initial letters can use this solution too, no need for patients to chase GPs or their hospital consultants, and the post code lottery is stopped

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