Previously we have reported on Public Health England’s and Department of Health and Social Care’s COVID-19 guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable.
It now includes a Shielded Patient List (SPL), which is a record of vulnerable patients thought to be at high risk of complications from COVID-19.
NHS and social care organisations use the list to identify vulnerable patients in their local area. Once identified, these patients are sent a letter with advice on how to protect themselves and how to access NHS services when required. The updated guidance can be found here.
Details of the letters sent by Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to:
- Clinically extremely vulnerable adults
- Clinically extremely vulnerable children and young people
- People identified as high risk by COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment Model – age 19 to 69
It can be accessed here.
Details of the NHS COVID-19 Population Risk Assessment articulates that the University of Oxford’s QCovid® risk prediction model has been used to identify additional people to be added to the Shielded Patient List (SPL). Further details can be found here.
Local VCSE organisation supporting local communities may want to gain an understanding of these changes and how it may impact on how they continue to support communities during this stage of the pandemic.