Statutory Sick Pay and shielding from Covid-19 advice from GP

lesterlad

I hope someone in here can advise, I work as a bank/relief worker for a major housing association, I do minimum of 15 hours a week and earn more then the minimum you need to earn to claim SSP.  I was advised by my GP to shield for 12 weeks due to underlying health condition, this was 8 weeks ago. The company I work for use an umbrella company to pay bank staff wages. they asked for a 1 week self certificate and a letter from my GP with regards to health conditions. I had not received a letter from the NHS. I submitted these week beginning 6th April. I have not received any pay yet as they were waiting on my company to confirm I still work for them, I have now been told that I need either a fit note to shield for health conditions (The GP's can not issue  fit notes for this) or a letter from NHS but I only have my GP's letter. I have been told therefore I am not getting any SSP. What can I do? Hope someone can please advise as I have not had any money at all during this period.

unforeseen

Did your GP give you a letter? 
If not and you didn't get a letter from the NHS then it is purely advice from the GP.  If your GP was putting you in the shielding group he would have been able to issue the letter or trigger NHS to issue one. 

At the moment, it appears to be that you are only self-isolating and not entitled to SSP as you do not have symptoms

lesterlad

Hi yes got a letter from GP and submitted it as requested

unforeseen

lesterlad said:

Hi yes got a letter from GP and submitted it as requested

Was it like
https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/at-risk-patient-letter-march-2020.pdf
As this is what your employer will be looking for, not a normal letter from your GP. 

The above letter is what GPs are advised to issue if they consider a patient should now be shielding.

If that is the letter then point out para 5 where it states that a fit note is not required. The letter takes the place of a fit note for shielded individuals. 

lesterlad

Hi
Thank you for that, No it was a letter from my GP telling me to shield, where do I get one like that from as I need to get paid. My Gp and a colleague of hers have both stated I should shield.

unforeseen

If you go to https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/guidance-and-updates-for-gps-at-risk-patients/  there is a document called Identifying Highest Risk Patients who need to shield – Actions for GP practices: 10 April 2020  
Within this it states 

What do GPs need to do? Once you receive the list, please review these individuals, determine their appropriate Covid-19 risk category and flag them as high, medium or low risk as 5 appropriate. For any of these patients you flag as high risk, you will need to send them a copy of the patient letter giving advice on shielding. NHS Digital will pull the details of these flags from GP IT systems weekly and individuals who you flag as high risk will receive the full government shielding service. 

So it needs to be the GP doing their job and annotating the system. The letter he/she should have given you and linked in the quote above is the one that I linked to before. So it seems that the GP is not following the procedure and providing you with the correct letter, instead they are winging it. Get back to your GP and tell them that you need the above letter as mandated in the procedure.

lesterlad

I have spoken to receptionist at surgery who has said they cant to them letters and only the letter that she gave me. i have asked for a phone consultation to see if the doctor can help me I am not confident. on top of the heart issues I have I am now very stressed over it all

lesterlad

Just read what you have sent and thank you for that, ive just read in there somewhere that the GP had to send this off by the 14th april? is she still able to submit this or is it too late? at the moment I don't know if I am coming or going.

unforeseen

14 April was the end point for the initial GP assessment of their patients that didn't get picked up on the NHS trawl of patient data for one reason or another. 
This should be an ongoing assessment and reporting. 
You can't turn around to somebody 'sorry, even though you are now high risk, you didn't meet the criteria by the 14 April so now you have to stay out there and risk catching a potentially fatal dose of Covid.'

Do it direct through 111. Tell them your GP has told you to shield but he won't give you the official shielding letter to give to your employer. 

LilElvis

Does the letter from your GP use "shield" or is it "isolate'? My husband has a letter from his GP recommending that he isolate for 12 weeks, but this is not the shielding letter - he is viewed as vulnerable, but not extremely vulnerable.

lesterlad

The gp used neither isolate or shield in letter, she as put it would not be advisable for me to attend work during coronavirus pandemic. With regards to the letter GP's should complete I will speak to them about this when someone rings me on Wednesday. I am so stressed over this I have had no money at all for 8 weeks now and its starting to have an effect on my health.