Cancer patient who has been left off shielded list can't get essential food delivered
A mother-of-two who is fighting breast cancer is unable to leave her house during the coronavirus pandemic – yet she can’t get essential groceries delivered because she has not been placed on the ‘vulnerable persons’ list.
Joanne Keay, from Wistaston, near Crewe, started chemotherapy after undergoing surgery just before the lockdown started.
The treatment has affected her immune system and means if she were to contract Covid-19, there is a good chance she would not survive the disease.
Her husband, Steven said: “We just feel out on a limb and out of the system."
The couple were advised them to register with gov.uk, but after two weeks they had not had any response.
Joanne, aged 45, was originally diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, which was treated with a lumpectomy, along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
However, last year she discovered tumours had returned and spread to her brain. Following surgery, her head and breast are clear of cancer, but a tumour has spread to her liver.
Joanne, who was told she could no longer drive after her operation, said: “There’s no operation I can have at this moment, they are justmanaging my condition with chemotherapy and I’ve been having bloodtests.
"I have good days and bad days and I try to keep busy. Life was bad before the lockdown, but it’s terrible now.”
Around 900,000 vulnerable patients were identified as in need of shielding and placed on a list before the Government enforced the lockdown, which afforded them extra protection, advice and support.
That list – which according to Government guidance should include allpatients receiving chemotherapy, such as Joanne – has since increasedto around 1.3 million patients.
All those patients should receive a letter which is proof they should be ‘shielded’ and they can then register for extra support, for example in receiving essential groceries.
Steven added: “We really feel like we have been forgotten about.”
Local MP Kieran Mullan, who has been in contact with the couple, said:
A statement on the government website says: “The NHS in England hascontacted clinically extremely vulnerable people with the conditionslisted to provide further advice.
“If you have not received a letter or you have not been contacted byyour GP but you’re still concerned, you should discuss your concernswith your GP or hospital clinician.”
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