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Online Food Shopping Home Deliveries for people on DHSC register for High Risk people.

Clearly there is a lot of good stuff going on in the community so I feel a bit guilty about airing a gripe. I am on the DHSC register as Extremely Clinically Vulnerable and have been strongly advised by DHSC and told point-blank by my clinical consultant…… Not to Leave the House until mid June at the earliest. This advice does not surprise me as I am well aware of my condition.


This advice does, of course, present the problem of how to get provisions. I live alone, have no family and do not have links with neighbours I can depend upon. Yes, there are local volunteers but not that well organised. Even if someone is willing to shop for me how do I pay them as I have no access to cash? I do now, after 3 weeks, get a weekly Government food box…… I greatly appreciate this well intentioned scheme, but unfortunately the box contents are mainly carb based and for medical reasons does not fit my dietary requirements.


I am advised by Gov pamphlet that it is not possible for boxes to be tailored, and I fully appreciate that this would be impossibly complicated, so I don't expect it. I do worry about the waste though…… hate waste! What I thought would be the very best solution for me is the scheme agreed by the Government and the major food chains. DHSC have supplied them with the list of all who are registered, and the idea is that the food chains will notify local people on the list of priority delivery slots of online food purchases (I am not looking for handouts), reserved for the vulnerable.


Great. Or so I thought. The main names, Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose etc. have all publicised how they are taking part in this initiative. Yet weeks on, nothing seems to have happened. I am aware of one 70 year old living alone who can not get a slot with Sainsbury no matter how hard she tries. I have had an email from Tesco saying they are going to offer this provision but they have not responded to, my email back, asking for details. Waitrose, my nearest shop by a long way, and where I have been a regular customer for many years, also state on their website that they will be contacting 'us' when they are able to.


I have emailed them 3 times and get standard managerial evasive replies. I even dropped a letter into the store by hand, Not replied to. What I do get from Waitrose is promotional emails telling me all the great things I can cook during the crisis… naturally these assume I am using ingredients from their shop! Clearly they know how to contact me when it suits them.


Oh yes, you read correctly……… I did personally drop a letter in by hand. I did this in the hour 'set aside for the elderly and key workers' first hour of the day. Well, what can I do but go out once a week to get fresh food? Yes, I do so against all the best advice…… I am very nervous when I take this risk, but what are my options?


The DHSC scheme could be really good, there are less than 3% of the population on the at risk register, of which about half either live with people not on the risk list or are in structured care. That leaves about 95,000 of us advised to stay at home, and alone. Is the capacity of all the main online food suppliers really not sufficient to find that many slots… At one delivery per week, at any time of day, spread over over seven days per week ………well we are going to be in ……where else can we be. The supermarkets have all had a significant upturn in productivity, and unlike other areas of business will actually do well out of the crisis. So am I just cynical to think that these suppliers are using publicity of being good samaritans and helping the vulnerable, but not actually doing anything in reality?


I would like to know if anyone on the DHSC list has actually been notified by an online Super Market that they are eligible for a priority in delivery slot availability.


Created By on 23/04/2020

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MollyUK
24th Apr 2020 13:47:47
0
Thanks for voting!
I think the big supermarkets always have profits and share dividends at the top of their list of concerns, despite their sentimentalised expressions of concern. I had a huge problem getting Sainsburys to recognise me and my husband as over 70. I tried to register for 3 solid weeks, during which time they offloaded the problem onto the government, who would only register people who are "extremely" vulnerable (organ transplants, cancer and other big health problems). This, for obvious reasons, excluded a lot of over-70s like us, who have been independently managing their lives for themselves up to now.
Now to the positive stuff! If you have more than one supermarket who'll deliver to your area, it's worth building up a basket of stuff with each of them. If a basket has over £40-worth of groceries in it, you can just let it sit there and you won't lose it when you log out. Keep checking all the stores every day until a slot becomes free with one of them, then grab it while you can! The slot may not be particularly convenient (10pm at night, anyone?!) but at least you'll have something to eat during the time you're waiting with another basket and another slot...
No need to tell you to buy stuff that'll keep - tins, packets, jars. A delivery of fresh fruit & veg is cause for celebration in our house, but nevertheless I don't buy too much as it won't keep well in this weather. My freezer is so full, I can't get another slice of bread into it! Oh, by the way, I buy 2 sliced loaves at a time and freeze them in 2-slice portions. That too helps to tide us over until I can get the next basket delivered.
Different times, different methods. Our parents had war rationing and food shortages to contend with. We now have something else, but human ingenuity can triumph over most things. I wish you good luck, for the deliveries and your health. All the best.
Boots
24th Apr 2020 12:43:31
0
Thanks for voting!
I am sorry you are having such a problem getting slots for home delivery of food. Despite what the supermarkets say it is not very easy as I know. They all work slightly differently it would seem I have been lucky getting at least one slot a week, not on a specific day or time or with a particular supermarket, but possibly because I have shopped on line for a couple years before all this virus lockdown happened. Neither my husband, who does have quite serious health problems, are on that DHCS list and when I tried to apply they said he didn't qualify, which is just as well I have managed.

Sainsburys has been the shop I have managed to get a slot from the most. I had an email from them before the government list to say I was classed as vulnerable and could have one slot a week, not when, just if I found one. I presume it was because I have their credit card and from this they would see my age. Initially they would send an email telling me when there would be some slots available, and I would check and book one. The day and time was variable. Then they stopped sending me an email so now I check their site each day from Sunday onwards and so far I have managed to get s slot at some time in the week.

Tesco doesn't appear to do something similar, not quite sure how or if they decide who is vulnerable. It was over a fortnight before I got another slot, I just checked once a day and all of a sudden there were some slots. Very much more expensive than Sainsbury.

Asda initially were easy to get a slot but their choice was much less, and their site not so easy to manage. The one delivery I got was poor and the driver not helpful or friendly

Iceland only show slots for a week and so say will only take people over pension age. How they know I don't know. I have shopped with Iceland in store for years and after a couple of weeks suddenly got a slot for home delivery. The cheapest of them all. Not got another one.

It is really the luck of the draw. Some people stay up till midnight hoping to get a slot but that doesn't always work. I have never done that. I just keep trying on a daily basis at any time with any of them until I get a slot. Not easy. I think feeding those who cannot use on line shopping must be extremely difficult. Is your council helping I wonder. Our council has sent cards to those who it thinks are vulnerable with phone numbers of shops, and people who can help. We have a good covid-19 volunteer group who will shop and deliver. I am afraid this government is doing very little, or getting bad advice from its civil servant advisors.

Sorry this has gone on so long but h0pe it helps or may help others. Good luck

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