People who have been identified as extremely vulnerable to coronavirus (COVID-19) have been asked to ‘shield’ – that is to not leave their home and minimise all face-to-face contact with other people. If you have had an organ transplant, have a severe respiratory or cardiac condition, or are on immunosuppression therapy, you are included in this group (full details of who is in the higher risk group can be found here.)
People who are shielding can get particular help and support for things like:
- Collecting shopping, medication, or other essential items
- A friendly ‘check in and chat’ with an NHS volunteer
- Transport for urgent NHS appointments.
If you are shielding and would like support with any of the above, you can request the services directly through the following schemes:
NHS Volunteer Responders
NHS Volunteers Responders has been set up by the Royal Voluntary Service to support extremely vulnerable people during the coronavirus outbreak. Further information about how to refer yourself for this service and how the volunteer responders can help you, is available here.
Gov.uk
You can also register for support via the government website. To read government guidance on social shielding click here.