We understand it’s a confusing time for everyone with so much information available. Particularly in relation to shopping hours and online delivery slots for those affected by MS.
I have MS, can I use the priority slots?
Some major supermarkets have introduced priority shopping hours in stores for vulnerable people.
We know supermarkets are experiencing extremely high demand and not everyone with MS has been able to get a delivery. If you’ve had a letter from the NHS you’ll have some guidance on there, including how to register as vulnerable.
According to the government list, everyone with MS should have access to these hours. However, we’re aware that not everyone is able to make use of them. So we’re contacting the government and supermarkets to try to make sure people living with MS can get access to priority slots.
We will update our website as soon as there is more information. In the meantime, the COVID-19 Mutual Aid website has a list of local groups that might be able to help.
I care for someone with MS, can I use the priority slots?
Whilst there is no clear government advice on this at the moment, we’ve heard from some of our volunteers that using a headed letter from the group stating that you are shopping on behalf of someone living with MS can help.
Contacting local support groups and voluntary networks, such as Mutual Aid can help.
What we’ve been doing to help
This is moving very quickly but as well as bringing this to the attention of Government and supermarkets. We’ve also been contacting supermarkets on social media to understand what they are doing to support vulnerable people (and not just those on the list of ‘extremely vulnerable’). And we’ll update our website with any information that we hear from them.
In addition to this we have contacted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) asking for some clarity on social media. We have also emailed Simon Hoare MP, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group for MS. He has raised the issue with DEFRA too.
It’s also of interest that DEFRA has said recently that it’s working to identify those who “may not fall into this category of extremely vulnerable but are vulnerable in other ways and in need of support getting essential food supplies.” We’re monitoring the outcome of this closely.
