Question reference: S5W-30517
- Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 6 July 2020
-
Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 July 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it would commit to including more detailed guidance for blood cancers as shielding is lifted, so that people with blood cancer who are at lower risk of serious illness can be safely excluded from future shielding and that those at highest risk receive clear information and support to help guide their choices about how to avoid infection.
Answer
The development of condition specific guidance for each of the shielding categories is one of the tools which has been created to allow people to understand their individual risk and provide guidance which will support them to transition out of shielding.
On Thursday 9 July we published the first version of tailored guidance for each of the shielding groups. This tailored guidance follows a similar format to the guidance developed for the non-shielding at risk groups. The guidance provides information on:
•why their condition puts them at higher risk from Covid-19;
•where to find support, including sign posting to relevant third sector organisations; and
•the current shielding advice.
The guidance also has a number of FAQs which provides information on how to say safe in different situations. These cover the activities which users advised they were looking for most in the recent PHS survey:
•going out for exercise
•visiting friends and family
•attending healthcare appointments
•resuming treatment
•going to public spaces
Advice on returning to work and education is also being developed and will be published before the end of the month.
The guidance has been shared through our third sector and clinical networks.
The guidance will be regularly updated as our advice changes and user research gives us patient feedback and insights into usage. We will continue to work with our third sector and clinical networks to improve the usefulness of the guidance and ensure that it is accessible to those shielding.