Hi there hoping everyone is doing well I work for the Royal Mail where keeping 2 meters is almost impossible but as from last Monday they finally made the wearing of masks mandatory since then other members of staff with cancer related have received the letter telling them to shield until 2nd December I have Polycythaemia vera (PV) and for some reason I have heard nothing has anyone else had the same issues please keep safe
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Hi Ronald, I am glad you are finally wearing masks at work. There are quite a few posts on our forum about people not receiving āthe letterā.
As last time when shielding came in the receiving of letters was very patchy so what I would say is that you know what you need to do to stay safe.
Blood Cancer UK have also very helpfully written guidance for employers and a letter for GPās if you havenāt received a letter. The link is on the front page of their website, under Staying safe and Government Guidance.
I received my letter yesterday. I also notice that there have been more issues with mail, maybe a shortage of workers from our local sorting office. Last week we had a gap of 5 days with no post then 10 items arrived, 3 (including one from hospital and 2 first class) postmarked from a week before.
Stay safe, and i hope you get the necessary information
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My husband still hasnāt received his letter or email or text. If his work hadnāt contacted him to say he was on the list and shouldnāt be working, then we may have assumed he had been taken off the list. Not sure who you chase it up with though.
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Hi @Ronald, did you previously receive a letter from the Government saying you should be shielding? If so then it is very likely you are on the Shielding Patient List. If this is the case, you should shortly receive another letter advising that if you cannot work from home, you should not go into work during the second lockdown. Some people have already received this information from the Government via email if they had given email details previously. We anticipate that most people will have received this letter by the end of this week.
If you donāt receive a letter but think you should, weād really encourage you to speak to a member of your healthcare team. Thereās an info sheet here for GPs around how to get people onto the shielding list, in case itās helpful for you - https://media.bloodcancer.org.uk/documents/GP_Letter_for_Shielders_in_England.pdf
In the meantime, have you spoken to your workplace about your condition and concerns and are they being supportive and understanding? Itās really good to hear that masks are mandatory now.
These info pages might also be useful for you - https://bloodcancer.org.uk/support-for-you/coronavirus-covid-19/
Thereās also a page on their specifically around Money and work Issues and has guidance around talking to employers about blood cancer and Coronavirus and also the extended furlough scheme.
Give us a call or an email if thereās anything you want to talk through!
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Hi @Mandypandy, I hope @Alice_BloodCancerUK, might have answered your question below, if not I believe your husbands GP should be the starting point.
You will read on this forum how many others have not received a letter yet, as in the first lockdown I think receiving of letters is patchy.
Take care both of you.
I got my letter this week. Not sure how it works as my brother in law is on immuno suppressants as he had a kidney transplant and he had to chase the GP for a letter! And he struggled to get on a delivery list for food because of it! There is no logic to it.
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Still no letter here for my husband. He meets two criteria for needing one. I donāt know if thatās reassuring or not to Ronald or anyone else passing by. Such a lousy, haphazard system. Itās caused so much worry. Thankfully someone from his workplace has now said they will accept a copy of his treatment plan as proof for his furlough so weāre no longer suffering postie traumatic stress!
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Hi @Jill1, yes, so many emotions and stress, I am glad your husbandās workplace have agreed to accept a copy of his treatment plan. Please keep posting what is going on for you both.
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Good morning. I have received both an email and a letter for the current period of shielding, not to be called shielding of course. Also been sent a letter from my local council.
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Not great at the moment, beginning to fear I will have to stay in. Nobody is social distancing and more people are about because of lockdown. Timing here is crucial for going out. Peopleās behaviour is terrible and the older person is as bad as the younger. Our count is rising but the messages donāt appear to be getting through. I am quite scared to be honest. With a tiny light glimmering I donāt want to fall foul to this virus, just wish others felt the same.
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Hi @Lababe, so many people are echoing your words, it seems a surreal world out there.
I have realised that I can only control my behaviour and I avoid people and wear my mask for my daily walk.
Perhaps we do have to stay in as much as possible and emotionally we can always support each other through these Covid times, please keep posting how you are.
@Erica @Lababe
Hi both, hope youāre doing okay? We can only imagine just how disappointing and concerning it can be to see others not adhering to social distancing guidelines, as you touch on, it can feel like there has been a chunk of control taken away.
Erica, itās great to hear youāve found ways to make you feel a bit more at ease and safe- hope this has helped you enjoy your walks more?
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Iāve had a letter and an email. My employers have now started to get tougher on student non mask wearing and putting student ambassadors at the entrance to speak to each person coming in.
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Hi @Franko Student ambassadors speaking to students not wearing masks sounds a great idea to me. Any other ideas out there in different situations?
I echo that. I made the mistake of walking in a more popular nature spot near home and was staggered at the groups there. Couples walking and two females chattering right next to each other and then husbands behind doing the same. We went to leave and had to pass a group of about a dozen twenty somethings all chatting and blocking the path. I found it hard to get past them and covered my mouth and nose and some little twit saw my anxiety and snarled ā Happy coronavirus day!ā I felt sick at the time and scurried away. By the time I got home I was truly annoyed.
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Wow, I am speechless, I just do not know what to say, you must have been scared as well as feeling sick. I know that feeling of delayed anger as well. I bet you will not be going to that lovely nature spot again soon. Yes, it can be a parallel universe out there. Take care and stay safe.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?