"Why should a vulnerable person be expected to tolerate lack of protections against Covid?"

Summary

In this blog, Laura Evans discusses the lack of protection against Covid-19 for vulnerable patients when going for a GP appointment or into hospital. She shares her personal experience of being dismissed when asking for basic patient safety measures to be put in place.

Content

Imagine you are in hospital waiting to be taken down for surgery. You are informed the surgeon does not like wearing gloves, mask or headwear and says it is their personal preference. You are also informed that the operating theatre has not been cleaned since the patient before you. What do you do? Do you say something, politely reminding people of your right to be kept safe in hospital? Or do you remain silent to avoid being ridiculed or made to feel like there is something wrong with you?

Of course, this scenario would never happen. It would not be tolerated by society. There are safety regulations and protocols in place to prevent, as far as reasonably possible, spread of disease in healthcare settings. However, where spread of Covid-19 is concerned, this genuine fear is the lived reality for millions of people attending healthcare appointments where their vulnerability is neither checked nor proactively catered for.

Many people do not have the confidence, in some cases the wherewithal, to ask people to be careful around them in healthcare settings. Those who do ask for their needs to be met, like myself, have been condescended to and, in some instances, shouted at when arranging appointments. The only exception being when arranging appointments on the cancer pathway, where there is an acceptance that the immune system may be compromised.

It is astonishing. What is it about this particular C word? Covid-19 is responsible for the deaths of over a quarter of a million people in the UK and the mass disablement of millions lucky enough to survive it but who are now living with Long Covid. There are also over a million people who shielded during the pandemic restrictions, whose clinical vulnerability has not suddenly gone away.

Even if the basic human response leaves a lot to be desired, it has become an economic imperative to prevent so many people being sick. The World Health Organization only declared the emergency phase of the pandemic over, the virus itself continues to devastate lives. The number of people unable to work full time, or even work at all, since the start of the pandemic is rising sharply.[1] The number of people moving to part time work or unemployment to care for someone has also risen in the last few years.[2] A BMJ study found people living with Long Covid have lower quality of life than stage 4 lung cancer patients.[3] Covid-19 has profoundly debilitating effects on aspects of normal life, such as walking, talking, cognitive function, bathing and dressing, personal relationships with friends and family, and employment. 

There is a lot of rhetoric about preventative medicine; why is more not being done to protect people from these devastating consequences? It is not just Covid-19 that spreads easily when basic protections are not proactively put in place. Patients are still swabbed for MRSA in pre-op checks despite the MRSA outbreak being two decades ago. Clearly proactive prevention works. Yet, there is no routine testing for Covid and a large proportion of positive cases are hospital acquired.

My local NHS Trust, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, has been exemplary across its Southport and Ormskirk hospital sites wherever patients request safety precautions. Nothing is too much trouble. However, interactions with other Trusts have resulted in an appalling lack of respect and dignity, and an unnecessary battle for safe practices and care pathways.

There is a worrying ‘survival of the fittest’ narrative pervading this matter, harking back to times when sick and disabled people were treated as socially embarrassing and a burden, to be hidden away and kept quiet. Anyone with the privilege of a robust immune system should ask if you would allow a medical practitioner to treat your open wound without gloves if you knew they were carrying a bloodborne infection? Any reasonable person would doubt such lapses in judgement.

So why is Covid-19 different? Why should a vulnerable person be expected to tolerate lack of protections against Covid-19 and why is the NHS not compelled to put basic patient safety measures in place as they are expected to prevent spread of disease? It makes no sense.

References

1. House of Commons Library. Research Briefing. Labour Market Statistics. UK Government, 18 February 2025.
2. Office for National Statistics. Employment in the UK: February 2025. Estimates of employment, unemployment and economic inactivity for the UK. 18 February 2025.
3. Walker S, Goodfellow H, Pookarnjanamorakot P, et al. Impact of fatigue as the primary determinant of functional limitations among patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome: a cross-sectional observational study. BMJ Open, 2023.

We would like to hear your experiences

Are you a vulnerable patient? What is your Trust or GP doing to make you feel safe? You can share your experience by posting in the Comments below or join our conversation in the Community area of the hub.

Related reading on the hub:

• “A perfect storm”: The global impact of the pandemic on patient safety
• Promises of Long Covid support have not materialised (a blog by Clare Rayner)
• Covid-19 : A risk assessment too far? A blog by David Osborn - Questions around Government governance
• Exploring the barriers that impact access to NHS care for people with ME and Long Covid
• Patient safety concerns for Long COVID patients

About the Author

Laura is the CEO of people and culture consultancy Glass Ceilings Change Management. She is a consultant, leader, and public speaker with almost two decades' experience in Operations, Policy, Regulatory Compliance, and HR across the private, public, and charity sectors. Her career to date has focussed on helping to remove barriers people face in society – in employment and education – by supporting organisations to shape inclusive cultures.

Laura is an Employment Advisor on the Advisory Board of Long Covid Support. She also sits as an expert panel member for responsible business on the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and the Institute of Directors’ Expert Advisory Group on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Laura has a Masters degree in HR Management with CIPD Advanced Level Standards, and holds postgraduate qualifications in HR Directorship and OD&D. She is an Associate Member of the Employment Lawyers Association, a Chartered Fellow with both the CIPD and the Chartered Management Institute, and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership in the UK. She is also a Fellow with both the Australian HR Institute and the Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia and New Zealand.