Covid in Scotland: 'Why is my toddler no longer on the shielding list?'
- Published
Fionn's mother has recently given up her job to be able to provide care for him
The father of a 20-month-old toddler with rare medical conditions has asked why his son was taken off the shielding list without his consultation.
Aaron Bradley, from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, was informed of the move in a letter from the Scottish government he received on Tuesday.
His son Fionn has hyperinsulinism, hypopituitarism and heart issues.
The Scottish government would not comment on individual cases but said Fionn's situation was under review.
Mr Bradley, an assistant practitioner at the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital in Glasgow, said he was concerned about what the removal of his son's shielding status meant.
He said he came into close contact with several people at work in his role performing ultrasounds and was therefore considered at high risk of contracting Covid.
It was for this reason that during lockdown his son's shielding status was extended to him and the rest of the family, meaning they could stay at home to protect Fionn whose complex medical needs require 24-hour care.
Mr Bradley said that as cases continued to rise in South Lanarkshire and there was the possibility the area would be put into level four restrictions, he was concerned the decision to remove his son from the shielding list would mean he would have to keep working.
He said this would be "really distressing and upsetting" compared to when the family were shielding in the beginning of the pandemic and received support as well as food boxes so they could stay at home.
The family said it has been difficult to provide 24-hour care for Fionn with the current restrictions in place
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme, Mr Bradley said: "It just came out of the blue. Basically they will take us off that that same level of support.
"The reason it said was that children and young people were at a much lower risk of serious illness than adults.
"And it said after meeting with a GP or hospital clinician, they confirmed he no longer has to be on the list".
Mr Bradley said that his son was not on the list because of his age but rather his multiple, complicated medical conditions. He said there had been no meetings or correspondence between the family and healthcare professionals about Fionn.
The family said they have since spoken to their consultant who agreed to write a supporting letter to the Scottish government.
Why would someone be taken off the list?
The Scottish government told BBC Scotland that clinicians might remove people from the list where they believe someone was no longer clinically at the highest risk from Covid-19.
However, they said that this should only ever be done in consultation with the patient, carers and other clinicians.
For children, guidance was issued in June by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health on the effect of coronavirus on children and young people.
Following this, Scotland's interim Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith, asked clinicians to review whether children and young people were required to be on the shielding list.
The Scottish government told BBC Scotland the letter stated a discussion must take place between families, carers, patients and clinicians.
What is the current shielding advice in Scotland?
The current government , externaladvice in Scotland for those shielding is that they should follow the same guidelines as everyone one else.
The government is not asking people to go back to shielding unless their GP or healthcare provider has advised them to.
There are exemptions in some cases, for example, anyone waiting on a solid organ transplant or people who are having treatment for cancer or have recently completed treatment.
