Practices have been under pressure to identify at high speed the most vulnerable patients who need “shielding,” it has been reported.

The latest deadline for reporting these patients was set, on Sunday, as 5pm today, the Health Service Journal reported. Shielded patients are meant to get regular contact from social services departments and NHS volunteers and may be offered free food – all aimed at ensuring they stay at home and do not receive visitors.

Practices received fresh lists for checking on Friday, the journal reported, and were asked to identify patients not currently recorded as being at risk – or to identify those wrongly included.
At first they were asked to complete the work yesterday – but it was then extended to today.

The instructions followed days of confusion when on 21 March GPs were asked to write to their most vulnerable patients – and then on 3 April, they were told lists would be compiled centrally.

NHS England director of primary care Dr Nikki Kanani said: “GPs, like all staff from across the NHS are pulling out all the stops to respond to the biggest global health emergency in a century and while this is an additional task, the vast majority are working this weekend to look after their patients, with practices open for business as usual.

“The government has established a national support offer to make sure those who are at highest risk from covid-19 have access to medicines and basic supplies and as part of that, GPs are working hard to ensure all relevant patients have been identified locally.”