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Anyone still working or been called back to work recently?

Type 2 since 2012, still on Metformin, also on meds for blood pressure. Started own thread re work so won't bore you all but still advised with (fit note) from GP to work from home till end of July by GP. Work is a school so starting to get more pupils in from June 1st but have been open since the start as our kids have health care plans. They tried to place me on SSP to start with, then we had some sort of basic agreement with regard to an amended contract until they started playing silly buggers and then I spoke to the Union. Union advised me I shouldn't suffer a financial detriment for being on the clinically vulnerable list and spoke to my HR. I also sent an email to my Head which was short and sweet as per advised by the Union. HR have gone very quiet, I didn't receive any reply from the Head but I saw the new timetable yesterday and it seems I am still just on the virtual one from home. There will be work from home as not all kids will return. May get a phone call from Line Manager as I did last time having a moan and saying it's not fair to those in school but as my Union says "if the school is opening as per government guidelines then they should treat me as per government guidelines".

I have two colleagues , one who is diabetic and other has reduced kidney function. They are desperate to go in. The school seems to look at them and then wonder why I am not going in but who is to say who is right?! If I go in I basically go against both GP and Government advice so if I fall ill that's my fault, no one else's.

Everyone is different, some are more confident and some err on the side of caution. No one is right or wrong, it's all about personal circumstance and personal decisions for yourself. Everyone's decision should be respected in very unprecedented times. I would certainly advise talking to a Union though if the employer is trying to push you back.
 
hi. I think we were only ever in the “clinically vulnerable” group by Gov.uk definition, so never actually had to self-isolate or shield. Many of my friends are type 2 and NHS, but they have continued to work through this. We can return to work with measures in place to keep 2 metres apart, or take appropriate measures if we can’t. I am sorry you are so anxious about returning to work.
 
I am 62yrs old and had type 1 for 49yrs. My job was deemed as essential so could not be furlowed. If I self isolated I could only get SSP. I work outside mostly on my own and have not found this a problem. If there are other people on site they seem to be a bit slack at social distancing. Not sure if I want to be the first to be vaccinated when they find one I think I will wait to see if its safe
 
Im very angry with the gp i spoke to at my practice. She isn't my normal gp but when i raised my concern about the higher risk of covid for diabetics she said she'd never heard of any risk for diabetics and it was nonsense; I had already read the report highlighting the danger way back in March. She basically called me a liar. I live in Scotland and I have a friend in England who's husband is diabetic with high blood pressure and has been ordered to self isolate for 12 weeks which is totally reasonable to me. I also have both of these as well as a whole host of other conditions but have been side lined. There doesn't seem to be any set rules in place, or perhaps it's a case of pot luck which surgery your with.

I'm house bound and have been struggling to get grocery deliveries and I was advised by Autism Scotland (I have Aspergers Syndrome) to contact my local council. They were more than willing to help me but I needed a letter from my gp with my CHI number on it. My gp refused because I wasn't in the severe risk category ie. Had a transplant or on chemo or radiotherapy etc.

So I've been left struggling, living alone, with no family or friends to help me. And all around me I see people who are not in the severe risk category getting grocery boxes delivered weekly and it's infuriating because all I wanted was some help accessing delivery slots from supermarkets. I'm not trying to sponge free food from the government and I pay Boots £55 per year to deliver my medication every week. I'm sorry if I've gone off topic but I'm extremely angry and frustrated. The whole system seems totally chaotic.
 

Hi, my work will not allow any that fall into that category to go in whether they wish to or not bearing in mind the nature of one's job. In my opinion, that is quite right as at the end of the day, Employers are responsible for the welfare of their Employees workwise. Once you are on their property it's down to them to ensure your safety. If I am being cynical then it's probably as much down to getting sued as anything else. x
 
kentgirl said:
I'm due back at work on June 2nd but very nervous, especially given the news tonight and l also don't know how social distancing will be implemented or sustained.
Click to expand...

I am seriously concerned. I have been working from home but now my company has stated that anyone who does not have shielding letter from the government must return to work next week or lose their job not being fit for the role they were employed as. I am 62 type 1 diabetic and have asbestos related pleural plaques. I spoke to my doctor and she has said that diabetes is not a reason to be shielding and unless I am 3 inhalers a day or oxygen then I do not qualify for shielding!!!
 
The whole situation is grim. I must admit, as I said before, it definitely seems to depend on area and GP. I had my return to work meet today. They are doing a risk assessment but weirdly I wont get to see it till the morning after my first night back but at least now they are not taking new admissions without a negative test (unlike before) and ppe in place now
 
Hi Khova91, I hope you are well.
I would speak with your workplace to ensure they have adequate safety measures in place for your return to work. I would imagine they would, given the difficult climate we are in.
I am a type 1 diabetic (21 years) and my control can be not so great at times (Hba1c is 7.5 at present). I am working and have been well throughout, thankfully. I have been taking the necessary precautions (keeping a safe distance from people, regular hand washing and covering my face close contact is unavoidable), so hopefully that gives you some reassurance.
Keep Safe,
Haleema
 
I've been working right through. I'm t1 diagnosed 10 years ago, insulin dependant and 63 years old. I work in a nursing home as admin. There was no recommendation for diabetics to self isolate. I wash hands regularly, wear mask in work . I just go to work and home mon to fri. Saturday I have one trip to supermarket. I'm not panicking or worried. I'm just sensible.
 
I’m 42, been diabetic type 1 for 22 years, I never got a letter to self isolate but been furloughed since 22/03/20 from work and week before that from uni, just had a call to say I’m back at work June 2nd, as a diabetic I could continue to be furloughed but my mental health is my concern right now and stuck at home alone as my hubby does 12 hour shifts 5 days a week as an essential worker has affected me a lot, I have Asperger’s and BPD and it has been a real struggle to keep it all together, but I finished my 2nd year of uni at home successfully and decorated my whole flat to keep busy. The virus hasn’t really concerned me, I know I’m susceptible as my diabetic control is frankly awful, the longer I’ve had it the worse it’s got and I honestly just don’t care any more. If I live I live and if i die I die. Simples and on to the next great adventure. I’m originally from Belfast Northern Ireland and one thing I learned growing up is you can’t live your life afraid to be alive, yes there is a chance that the next time you go out there might be a bomb or you might catch the virus and die, or you might get hit by a car or have a heart attack or a million other things but in my opinion only God decides those things. When I was younger I used to try and kill myself all the time, many times, it’s part of my BPD, but it never worked no matter how hard I tried. So I know unless God decides that’s it, you’re stuck here. So if you do die of the virus it was your time anyway band if it wasn’t that that got you it would be something else. Anyway tired and rambling now, another sleepless night sorry
 
A slight update on mine. New school timetable came through and I'm not on the in school one, but I'm also not on the virtual at home one either despite others being on there so there is work that can be done from home! The teacher I support in virtual lessons is in school every day from 1st June so that may be the reason. However I called the Union asking if they could either "let me go" or without my knowledge place me on SSP, which they wanted to do in the first place, and they said no they can't but we will have to see when my pay comes through next week. After all I am only following the advice of the Government and my GP.

The below paragraph is Government advice regarding clinically vulnerable employees in my sector, education. There may be something similar written for employees in other sectors so this may help some. If you are concerned I would suggest talking to your Union if you have one or ACAS if you don't. It's also possible that if you think you are being treated unfairly your case might come under the Equality Act. I was informed that quite often it's down to the Judge rather than a basic list so to speak but again if you are concerned you can get advice at the Equality Advisory and Support Service.

For sure in my case my stance might well be annoying my employers and if/when I go back in earnest relationships with certain people may be affected but as my Union said if they are not paying particular attention to the guidance and the safety of vulnerable employees they are hardly a good employer. As I stated above, if the Government and my GP are advising I work from home, thus being a reasonable adjustment, and I go back in I am ignoring that advice and have less of a leg to stand on if something did happen.

That paragraph –

Clinically vulnerable individuals who are at higher risk of severe illness (for example, people with some pre-existing conditions as set out in the Staying at home and away from others (social distancing) guidance have been advised to take extra care in observing social distancing and should work from home where possible. Education and childcare settings should endeavour to support this, for example by asking staff to support remote education, carry out lesson planning or other roles which can be done from home. If clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable) individuals cannot work from home, they should be offered the safest available on-site roles, staying 2 metres away from others wherever possible, although the individual may choose to take on a role that does not allow for this distance if they prefer to do so. If they have to spend time within 2 metres of other people, settings must carefully assess and discuss with them whether this involves an acceptable level of risk.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings
 

Hi, it's very confusing just now. I was supposed to have had a knee replacement early April and have a sicknote which runs out on 6th June. I'm in constant pain but if I don't go back to I'll be using all my sick pay. It's not my fault my operation was cancelled. My manager doesn't want me back at work because of my Diabetes ( type1) I just don't know what to do. Strange times indeed
 
I was lucky I had mine just before all this started. I feel for you. The pain is just constant. Hope your op is rescheduled soon. I can tell you it works!
 
So far Iv worked right through the pandemic.
I'm a bathroom fitter and due to me changing working ways back end of last year I couldn't even claim for self employed help. It ment I either had to live off my savings or carry on working and not knowing how long for.

Before Social Distancing came in back in March I'd booked up till this week so knew I had 2 months work. Over the last week Iv now booked a other 2 months work in so people are still wanting things done thankfully
Some jobs Iv worked in empty houses but if not Iv just kept distance from people. The hardest thing at first was getting materials but it's really easy now for most things

Cant wait for some sort of normality though as my mood had massively dived. Every day is work home sleep, work home sleep.
I'm used to going out to watch local footy 3-4 times a week or going out on a weekend so it has been hard. I'd even like something as simple as amusements been open at the seaside and just wasting a few quid on the 2p machines.
 
Is it ok to go to work if you are alone in the office and can shield yourself in there? I work in a school in finance and our offices are set away from the school campus so there is no interaction with staff or pupils. I work mostly from home but there are days when I need to go in. I take in my own lunch and follow all social distancing and cleaning rules. Total number of staff in the building is three at present. If taking these precautions I think I should be ok. Hb1ac is down to 56 and have conflicting advise from my clinic and our school nurse about going in.
 
Based on official guidelines on the .gov website Diabetes is in the work from home if you can, be diligent in social distancing vulnerable category (not extremely vulnerable and shield). If you have a very high hb1ac or other health issues you may have been added to the higher shielded group on an individual basis and received a letter advising you of this.

Emotionally how you feel may be different from these guidelines.

Got to say your situation looks better than most and pretty much isolated there and as such lower risk than many people at work.
 
During the whole pandemic, I have been working, I cant work at home either. It is a bit of weird one. As some Type diabetic at my work have been sent home and told not to come to work. But Some of us have. They tend to go on if your on medication or not. One of the guy is waiting for his next Hac1 to see if he can come back.

But kind of glad I was able to work during it, adds a bit of normality.
 

Hi, thank you for your reply. I never received any letter or text, from the outset, telling me that I have to shield or that I am in a vulnerable category. It was the nurse at the diabetic clinic who advised me verbally. I got confused, one appointment she was saying that as long as I was observant I should be ok and in the next it was that I should be working from home.

I get what you say about how I feel emotionally. I went from feeling good about my health to being totally unsure.

I am in a much better position than most that I am thankful for. The school nurse and I discussed the dynamics at work and we came up with guidelines that I am following when I do go in - I operate payroll in a private school and sometimes it’s easier to work from the office.
 
This page section 8 is where it advises about diabetes. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing
Letters were only for the highest risk group not us. The nurse was right. Be careful Following the rules as everyone should be doing and if you can, work from home or be careful if you can’t. Same advice everyone else got but take it even more seriously.
 
I got the call back to work 5 weeks ago, I'm 56 and type 1 for 40 years. I got inducted back into work (same company for 40 years a large multi national military arms manufacturer) to tell me ALL they had done to minimise risk, to be honest this was not a lot, generally involving social distancing (which isn't really possible 100% of the time) wiping touch points, limiting number of bodies per room (this has been totally ignored) and no contact with other shifts (splitting shift finishing times). I never got offered any ppe other than what was available pre Covid I had to ask. As time has gone on most of this "keeping us safe" has gone by the way side - no one seems to give a **** anymore and I am worried for my health to such an extent that I'm considering finishing.
 
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