Over 70s Isolation

[The hooch]

Feeling vulnerable...I'm 64...worked nights for 23 years... fill soap ...been a nightmare.
Would love to stay at home for 4 weeks. It's becoming a bit frightening. Loads of dot com..probably going to start earlier again.

[notsofunny]

Boris only set things out for the England so as such its down to the other country's to decide what they are going to do I would say that if the others went into lock down then it would be the same since that's what it was last time on pay ,

What legal fines can be imposed on Tesco if they are going  according to Gov rules ? I cant find any place that they have said ( gov) the extremely vulnerable are to be paid from day one , remember its not a tesco policy on the 3 day rule But a Gov rule  on SSP , If I heard correctly they said they would send out another letter , if  not then use the one that was sent out last time I would say  and I hope People go by this letter since last time some at Tesco and other places ended up getting pay stopped since they did not have one , remember the letter had to say Shielding ,,

[notsofunny]

Feeling vulnerable...I'm 64...worked nights for 23 years... fill soap ...been a nightmare.
Would love to stay at home for 4 weeks. It's becoming a bit frightening. Loads of dot com..probably going to start earlier again.

I would think all you can do is talk to your line manager about how you feel,  say it to them like you have on this site, find out if they can just have a word with the pickers about only one coming into you area at a time, all to have face masks on, keeping a distance, remember they have to make it Covid secure for you and everyone else and this is the time for you and everyone else to put their foot down about things ,,, good luck.

[notsofunny]

Stores got a e mail to advice managers that those staff that are extremely vulnerable are expext3d to be off again  from Thursday.  So for managers to plan ahead .. updates with details to come on Tuesday  ..

[.....1]

Does this include Scottish and Welsh stores with extremely vulnerable to?

[notsofunny]

Does this include Scottish and Welsh stores with extremely vulnerable to?

sorry should have said this is in England

but also  depends which way your Government is going I have this feeling that Scotland /wales /and Northern Island will also decide to go the same way as England in the next few days

[BasketMaster]

Dear all,

Ahead of the lockdown in England and different restrictions across the UK, I want to make sure that all colleagues have the latest advice, and to reassure you that our priority remains your health, safety and wellbeing.

In England, the Government has advised that from 5 November, people who are deemed to be Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) should not go to work if they are unable to work from home. As a business we have taken the decision to ask all CEV colleagues and Clinically Vulnerable (CV) colleagues who have been deemed higher risk by Occupational health â€" including those living in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales â€" to not come to work from 5 November to 2 December 2020. These colleagues will be paid and we will review the situation throughout November in advance of 2 December.

Further guidance has been shared with managers and people partners. Colleagues should be aware if they fall into one of these categories but please do speak to your manager if you are unsure if this policy applies to you.

The last few months have been challenging for us all. COVID-19 has brought a huge amount of uncertainty, and I’m sure for many of us, greater levels of stress and anxiety than usual into our lives. Please remember the resources we have available to you all on Headspace and SilverCloud, to support your mental wellbeing. I’d encourage you to take five minutes out of your day today, do something for yourself, sign up to these resources and explore what they can offer. You can access both from a computer, tablet or phone and more information is available on Our Tesco.

As ever, the best ways to avoid catching and spreading the virus, are to follow social distancing measures â€" including keeping two metres away from those not in your household, wearing a face covering where required (unless exempt) and good hygiene practices. It’s really important that we all play our part, by requesting a test if we experience symptoms, self-isolating where necessary and following the instructions of the contact tracing teams.

More than ever, the contribution of our colleagues in delivering for our customers is of critical importance. Thank you once again for all your efforts.

My very best wishes to you and your families, and please take care.

Natasha Adams

[extrastore]

Does Natasha's statement mean you have to have been interview by OccHealth? Or do you just have to be over 70?

[dotnochance]

Yup, most people in my store where told it’s OH was only really for the extremely vulnerable, so most didn’t do it. So we all just got f***ed. oh and OH interviews are closed wont be doing anymore

[expressman77]

So if you were offered occupational health as you were classed as vulnerable  ,but didnt you now have to work and not classed vulnerable,  does not seem right

[dinosaurtoast]

I returned to work 29th June and I felt pressured to not opt into the OC health referral. I've just found out that the OC health referral was still open to clinically vulnerable folk, but I wasn't told about it - I was led to believe that it was a one-off situation. Regarding today's news - is there any way folk can we still request an OH referral specifically for the ongoing COVID-19 situation or is it an absolute zero chance now?

[expressman77]

So government brings out 2 categories,  clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable,.but Tesco make a 3rd category up ,
The ones who spoke to occupational health when offered it and if you decided not to your not in any category

[Phoneshopguy]

Does anyone know if thats actually the case or are we adding 2 and 2 together and making 5?

[notsofunny]

Why are people bringing in OH .. it has nothing to do with it at all . If you got told by the Government  health service that you had to stay at home and you got a shielding letter to say for thats it .You don't need anything else . OH has no power to move you out of it or move you into it .OH from what i u derstand was just to help you return back to work. Remember if you feel you.should.be off talk to your manager and talk to your doctor that's the  important thing to do .

[DCI Banks]

From what I understand,  if you were classed as vulnerable and shielded in the previous lockdown
you should request an OH questionnaire, which they can email to you, OH will then advise if you should continue to work , just because you shielded last time doesn't mean you are at the same level of risk as stores are deemed Covid safe workplaces.

[expressman77]

Theres clinically vulnerable and clinically extreme vulnerable ,
The clinically vulnerable wasnt given letters to shield but advised to.
This time their  not told to shield unless employers advise.
That's where the occupational health came in .
If you've had a meeting with them and they are aware you may be able to shield again

[Welshie]

It was an online OH questionnaire that was done in June ,  if you were clinically extremely vulnerable and deemed unsafe to return to work in July you were categorized  as "c" . The category c colleagues are to sheild again . The paperwork I've seen says this questionnaire is no longer available.  I also believe that it was a very small percentage of colleagues that were categorized as "c"  , the new policy is online at our Tesco

[dotnochance]

that makes no sense sense, they say all clinically extremely vulnerable  AND category c people will be shielding, but your saying "if you were clinically extremely vulnerable and deemed unsafe to return to work in July you were categorized  as "c"

[takethemoneyandrun]

I've been told I have to shield for 4 weeks..I offered to sign the disclaimer so I could go in to work but was told I cant as I'm on the extremely  vulnerable patient list..

[expressman77]

What is in the 3 categories a,b and c
As cant find a link that works

[Welshie]

A B and C were the categories assigned by the June OH questionnaire, A - back to work , B- back to work with amendments made , C - continue to shield throughout July.

[expressman77]

Where can you find out who or what is in each group .
I keep reading what group is doing what ,but what catorgry is in in each group

[Welshie]

If it is relevant to you , you would have filled the OH questionnaire in back in June and they would have replied telling you which category you were in . The OH questionnaire is no longer available.  If you have any concerns speak to your manager.  The things I know that put you in category C were , chemotherapy, immunotherapy  , immunosuppressive drugs , any blood cancer treatment.  I'm sure there is more but basically anything that suppressed your immune system .

[Pmjd84]

Where can you find out who or what is in each group .
I keep reading what group is doing what ,but what catorgry is in in each group

There isn’t a category for each group. It depends on that persons medication etc. Someone with moderate asthma for example wouldve been in group B, but someone with severe asthma who has to take steroids would be in group C. It really depends on what medication you’re on. But as a whole, it’s the extremely clinically vulnerable who were put into the group C on OH. Roughly the same guide is on the nhs website under coronavirus.

[Morris999]

@expressman77,
The only colleagues who were put in a group were the colleagues who were off shielding from March.
And then only if they went to OH.
The colleague and there manager knows which group they were in.
There isn’t a list on a wall for everyone to see.

It basically comes down to this

Did you receive a shielding letter from either your GP/Consultant, NHS or Matt Hancock sometime between March and July?
If you can answer yes, then you are off from Thursday.

If you didn’t then unfortunately you are to continue to come to work as normal, unless you were told by OH in June that you are in group C, and you didn’t return till August.

If you feel that you should be shielding then you have a few options
1. Contact your GP/Consultant and ask them to see if you should be shielding and will give you a shielding letter.
If they won’t then unfortunately you are not in the shielding group.
2. Speak to your manager about taking holidays or unpaid leave for the month or changing roles.

I get people are concerned and think they should be of shielding, however Tesco is just following the advice from the Government/NHS who have decided which groups fall into the CEV category.

By now everyone should know if they are classed as CEV or not.