Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Disabled people left off coronavirus vulnerable list go without food

Disabled people left off coronavirus vulnerable list go without food

Large numbers excluded from government’s food delivery scheme due to strict criteria
Disabled people are being left without food after being missed off the government’s list of those vulnerable to coronavirus, the Guardian has learned.

The government set up an online register billed as a way to reach “extremely vulnerable” households in England who have been told to shield for 12 weeks – either offering them food parcels via their local authority or liaising with major supermarkets to give priority for online delivery.

But it has emerged that large numbers of disabled and older people are being excluded from the scheme due to the highly selective criteria.

One hundred people with severe disabilities and chronic illness say they have been rejected for the government’s register and thereby left without any support to access food without leaving their home, despite being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus.

Their conditions include cancer being treated with chemotherapy, heart disease, tetraplegia, motor neurone disease (MND), myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and muscular dystrophy. Some disabled people reported sleeping to avoid hunger pains, or living off fruit. At least one rejected for assistance has gone on to contract coronavirus.

“I’ve had four letters to say I should be shielding yet the Gov.uk site doesn’t recognise me to be put on the online vulnerable list,” said 40-year-old Vicky McDermott in Northumberland, who has the immune disorder rheumatoid arthritis and a daughter with a life-limiting condition who has also been told to shield.

“I tried registering last night for the fifth time. The supermarkets won’t put us on the priority list as we’re not registered with the government.”

McDermott has resorted to buying food from “online corner shops” with a large markup. “A tin of beans is £2,” she said.

Deborah Bhatti, 50, from Bury in Greater Manchester, is on 40 medications a day including for asthma and autoimmune disease, but has not made the list. It means she is not eligible for her local council’s scheme to collect prescriptions or give out food parcels. “I had to share a tin of tuna with my cat,” Bhatti said. “I feel desperate and fearful and have bad dreams every night.”

The Department for Health and Social Care said there was a short delay between people being identified as clinically extremely vulnerable by their GP, and receiving the NHS letter from their clinician, and their identity being pulled from GP records to enable them to register for support. It added it was updating the patient list that enables people to register for support from GP records on a weekly basis.

But both doctors and patients report confusion over how this is being handled. When Denise Stephens, 41, who has multiple sclerosis and is immunocompromised, was rejected, she followed instructions to call her GP but hit a brick wall. “My GP said they couldn’t help me and they didn’t know why the government is directing people to them about this,” she said. Last month, Stephens contracted coronavirus. She has had to call an ambulance twice to her London home but is still not eligible for help with food or medication.

In recent days, the government’s website has begun to allow some people to add their details even if they do not meet the criteria, but charities say this is not enough to stop people missing out.

“We’re hearing from people that their GP won’t put them on the list after they tried to self-register as MND isn’t listed,” said Susie Rabin, the head of policy and campaigns for the MND Association. “I’ve seen responses from MPs to people saying that not everyone with MND needs to be in the list as ‘some may have a mild form’. I’ve never seen a mild form of a terminal illness.”

The charity WellChild estimates many of the 100,000 children and young people with serious medical conditions in the UK do not meet the criteria for the extremely vulnerable list.

There are also concerns the government is excluding people whose disability means they cannot physically distance safely at supermarkets, such as those with sight loss or autism. One woman with autism and mental health problems, who is self-isolating, said she had lost her carer who helps her shop but still did not make the vulnerable list. “I’m absolutely terrified I’ll be dying of starvation in the coming weeks,” she said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
×