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Publication - Advice and guidance

Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for people who were on the Highest Risk List

Last updated
10 November 2023 - see all updates
Directorate
Safer Communities Directorate
Topic
Communities and third sector, Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland, Health and social care, +1 more … Public safety and emergencies

Advice to help people who were on the Highest Risk List make informed decisions and access support services.

Support with mental health, wellbeing and loneliness

If you’re struggling, remember you can always talk to your GP or someone in your clinical team.

There are resources available on NHS Inform to help you stay calm and relaxed.

If you need to talk to someone, you can call one of these free services:

  • NHS 24: call 111 if you need urgent support for your mental or emotional health. Open 24 hours a day
  • Breathing Space: call 0800 83 85 87 for a free, confidential, phone service for anyone in Scotland over 16. If you’re experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety, Breathing Space provides a safe and supportive space, listening, offering advice and providing information. Open Monday to Thursday: 6pm to 2am and Friday to Monday: 6pm to 6am 
  • Samaritans: call 116 123 for confidential emotional support if you're in distress or despair. Open 24 hours a day
  • British Red Cross Helpline: call 0808 196 3651 if you're feeling lonely, worried, or are having difficulty accessing food or medication. Support is available in more than 200 languages. Open every day from 10am to 6pm

Websites

  • the Scottish Association for Mental Health website has further resources and support
  • the Clear Your Head website has more information to help you cope as restrictions ease and for advice on how you can support other people who you think might be struggling
  • the Young Scot website has support and information for children and young adults

Support to help if you’re feeling lonely or isolated

Connecting With You is a free service run by the British Red Cross. It’s available to all people aged 18 or over in Scotland who are experiencing issues associated with loneliness.

We know when you were on the Highest Risk List may have meant you experienced loneliness or difficulty keeping up your connections more than other people. Many of you have told us about how isolating you found shielding. We also know that you may now be finding it hard to get back to doing the things you did before, and meeting the people you met before. Connecting with You aims to help you rebuild your independence.

How to use the service

To arrange a phone conversation about what kind of support would be most helpful to you, contact the British Red Cross:

Types of support

Support will depend on your needs and what is available in your area. It could include things like:

  • weekly phone calls to check in with you
  • online support
  • in-person meetings, if you’re comfortable with these
  • support getting into new or old hobbies and interests
  • help meeting new people, or getting back in touch with people you already know
First published
23 February 2021
Last updated
10 November 2023 - show all updates

  1. Updates to winter vaccination programme.

  2. Updates made to the spring booster vaccination programme.

  3. Updates made to overview page to reflect spring booster vaccination programme. Guidance for immunosuppressed people changed to guidance for people with a weakened immune system and content amended accordingly.

  4. Update to overview and guidance section for people who remain at higher risk because of a suppressed immune system.

  5. Added further details about vaccinations and amended immunosuppressed information on testing and safety measures.

  6. Updated information on lateral flow tests to reflect current information.

  7. Winter flu vaccine information added.

  8. Updates to Overview, Mental health support and Guidance for immunosuppressed people.

  9. Add Spring/Summer Booster updates.

  10. Added link to impact assessment on ending Highest Risk List from overview text.

  11. Updated and removed pages in light of Highest Risk List ending.

  12. Updates to financial support and advice on working pages.

  13. Updated to reflect latest position.

  14. Updates to Overview, Shopping and Financial support.

  15. Updates to Overview, Shopping, Advice on Working made. Guidance for immunosuppressed people and people previously at highest risk added.

  16. Advice on working and shopping pages updated.

  17. Update text on highest risk group research.

  18. Updates to Overview, Shopping and Financial support. Removed Health and wellbeing, SMS shielding service, Prescriptions, Medical appointments, Letters to the highest risk group and Contacts.

  19. Updates to Highest risk list.

  20. Advice on working page updated to reflect recent changes in work guidance.

  21. Added Distance Aware badge header to Overview.

  22. Overview page updated.

  23. Advice on working page updated

  24. Added Supporting your return to work section on Advice on working page and categorised content into an accordion.

  25. Changed Workplace safety advice to Advice on working, alongside changes to text.

  26. Amended text on Overview.

  27. Highest risk group research page updated.

  28. Minor amendments to overview page.

  29. Highest risk group page updated.

  30. Workplace safety advice and contacts page updated.

  31. updated to reflect latest position.

  32. URL changed from: www.gov.scot/publications/covid-shielding to www.gov.scot/publications/covid-highest-risk/

  33. Number of changes including updates to wording from 'shielding' to 'people at highest risk'

  34. Workplace safety advice page updated.

  35. Workplace safety advice page updated.

  36. Food and other essentials page updated to reflect latest position.

  37. Minor textual change made to section on workplace safety advice.

  38. Added new section on workplace safety advice.

  39. Levels page updated to reflect latest position for school, college or formal childcare.

  40. Updated to reflect move out of lockdown.

  41. Additional levels advice added.

  42. Shielding extra advice table added as a PDF attachment.

  43. Research about shielding page added.

  44. Update to highest risk classification page adding liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class B and C) to relevant section.

  45. Update to prescriptions page.

  46. Highest risk group page updated to reflect latest position.

  47. Updated to add further information about getting to your vaccination appointment to the overview page.

  48. Updated the content to include information about vaccines and staying safe during lockdown.

  49. Pages updated to reflect latest position.

  50. Shielding letters page added

  51. Update to SMS shielding service page to add that people will never be asked for personal or banking details by text.

  52. Updated to reflect latest changes in guidance. Some sections redirected to current advice on http://www.mygov.scot/shielding

  53. Updated to reflect latest changes in guidance.

  54. Updated to reflect latest changes in guidance.

  55. Daily activities attachment updated.

  56. Staying safe with daily activities updated

  57. Updated to reflect additional support that is available.

  58. Staying safe guide updated to reflect changes on meeting others.

  59. Updates made to overview, current advice, highest risk group, children and young people, seeing friends and family, daily activities and health and wellbeing pages.

  60. Updated to to include current advice and the SMS Shielding Service contact information

  61. Add information note to overview page to reference latest restrictions on Aberdeen City.

  62. Updated to reflect that shielding has paused.

  63. Updated to include the Staying Safe with Daily Activities Guide

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