A desperate disabled grandmother and her terminally ill husband says that they have been ‘left to die’ in the coronavirus pandemic, while local councils have urged the government to tell them the names of vulnerable people who need help.
Kathryn Hadley, 63, says the country is ‘not united at all’ and the term ‘love thy neighbour’ has been lost amongst the panic over the virus, leaving her unable to get supplies for herself and her husband Dave, 55.
The couple have been self-isolating at their home in Clutton, Somerset for 13 days as Mr Hadley has Stage 4 bowel cancer and suffers from diabetes and MS.
This means he is one of the 1.5 million people the NHS has written to and told to quarantine immediately for 12 weeks as they are vulnerable to the virus.
However, Ms Hadley claims that the couple have been left to fend for themselves as they try and deal with self-isolation.
Kathryn Hadley, 63, and her husband David, 55, who are in self isolation in Clutton, Somerset. Mr Hadley has terminal cancer and Kathryn is in a wheel chair
The couple have been self-isolating at their home in Clutton, Somerset for 13 days as Mr Hadley has Stage 4 bowel cancer and suffers from diabetes and MS
She was so desperate for help she wrote to a newspaper saying that in her village ‘not one person has telephoned or put a note through the door asking if we are OK’.
Ms Hadley added that ‘there obviously is no community spirit. All we can see is greed and selfishness’, as she revealed that their lifeline of food delivery from a supermarket arrived half empty – because of panic buying.
It comes as Anthony May, the chief executive of Nottinghamshire county council, said he has been overwhelmed with offers of support, but has had no details on who requires help from the government.
Boris Johnson and his government had previously ordered the 1.5 million people to self-isolate for their own safety.
The government had also announced that unprecedented packages of food and aid will be delivered to those affected.
However, Ms Hadley says she has also been unable to buy her husband high-fat food items he requires from the supermarket due to the shelves being bare.
The grandmother-of-one, says it has been ‘impossible’ to pick up basic shopping in the supermarket and she hasn’t had any help whatsoever.
Writing in the Telegraph she said: ‘Sir – My husband, who is only 55, has terminal cancer. He has also suffered from diabetes all of his life and a few years ago was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
‘I am 63 this year, in a wheelchair because I am unable to walk due to an amputation, and I suffer from depression.
‘We put ourselves in isolation about 10 days ago. Unfortunately, we have received no help at all from anyone.
‘We live in a small village, the type where everyone knows everyone’s business and not one person has telephoned or put a note through the door asking if we are OK.
‘There obviously is no community spirit. All we can see is greed and selfishness. When the shopping arrived last night, half of it was missing because selfish people had cleared the shelves.
‘When I am feeling really down I just feel like we have been left to die.’
The grandparents went into isolation on March 10 after realising they formed part of the high-risk category of Brits likely to catch coronavirus.
Ms Hadley added: ‘Dave is dying. It’s just such a worrying time. If he were to get it it would almost definitely shorten his life span.
‘I decided to self-isolate as I just didn’t want to be the one to give it to him. We were able to get a slot for a food delivery last week but half of the shopping was missing because everyone had gone over the top in the supermarket.
‘We’re just left to fend for ourselves. We live in a village where everybody knows everyone’s business.
‘If there’s bad news or if someone has run off with the milkman it will only be a matter of hours before everyone knows.
‘Everything flies around the village. If there’s an argument in the street we’ll all know who was in the right and who was in the wrong in no time.
‘But despite that being the nature of the village, at this time of crisis we’re vulnerable and on our own.
‘I look out the window and see neighbours their boots absolutely full of carrier bags from the supermarkets.
‘I feel like shouting from my window for them to stop but that would only serve me looking like a mad hatter.
‘I’ve just seen countless car loads full of food. The shelves at our local shop are completely bare.
‘I need to get in as much high fat foods as I can for Dave so he can keep the weight on.
‘Things like puddings and cheese on toast to keep him fighting. But it’s just been impossible trying to get the basics like bread in.
‘I actually learnt how to make bread just before the coronavirus but I can’t for the life of me get any flour.
‘I just want people to stop all these greed. I don’t know what it is or where it has come from.
Mr Hadley is one of the 1.5 million people the NHS has written to and told to quarantine immediately for 12 weeks as they are vulnerable to the virus. However, Ms Hadley claims that the couple have been left to fend for themselves as they try and deal with self-isolation
The grandmother-of-one, says it has been ‘impossible’ to pick up basic shopping in the supermarket and she hasn’t had any help whatsoever
‘Not that I was around at the time but my grandparents used to tell me during the war people pulled together.
‘If anyone was growing anything in their garden they would walk along the road and see if anyone wanted any green beans and would check in.
‘There’s just no comradeship. There’s no love thy neighbour at all. We call this country the United Kingdom but it isn’t united anymore.
‘There’s just greed and people looking out for themselves.
‘This isn’t going to stop tomorrow, this is going to keep going. I’ve even heard it will last right up until Christmas. I just want people to stop and think about what they are doing.
Anthony May, the chief executive of Nottinghamshire county council, said he has been overwhelmed with offers of support, but no details on who requires help.
‘My husband is dying and I can’t risk going on buses or going outside to get the basics.’
It comes as Mr May said he has an army of volunteers ready to help people at risk from coronavirus and is just waiting on the Government for a list of those in need.
The Government yesterday revealed they will ask 1.5 million vulnerable people on a list of at-risk groups to self-isolate for at least 12 weeks as Boris Johnson warned that people must follow guidelines or he will have to bring forward ‘tough measures’.
At the daily press conference on Sunday Mr Johnson said the ‘shielding’ of the people considered to be the most vulnerable to coronavirus would do ‘more than any other single measure to save life’.
The NHS is expected to contact the elderly and those with serious health conditions by post tomorrow then, followed by a text and phone call, urging them to stay home.
But speaking to Today, Mr May warned it would be days before the plans his council has put in place could be acted on without the names.
‘What we expect to receive this week after the initial contact from the NHS is a list of those people that require our help locally,’ he said.
In other major developments today:
- The government has suspended rail franchises to maintain services, as operators faced collapse with passenger numbers tumbling;
- Mr Hancock has insisted he will ensure that NHS staff get all the personal protection equipment they need, amid fear they are currently ‘lambs to the slaughter’ when treating patients;
- The government has formally warned Britons flocking to campsites and holiday homes away from cities that it does not count as ‘essential travel;
- Chancellor Rishi Sunak is preparing a fresh economic bailout for five-million self-employed amid warnings thousands of sole traders will not survive the crisis;
- The children of coronavirus key workers including firefighters have been turned away at the school gates while parents who fail to meet the criteria have verbally abused teachers and threatened to sue;
- The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, has said no new trials will start and that ongoing trials will be paused while arrangements are put in place so they can continue safely;
- Health minister Nadine Dorries, the first MP confirmed with coronavirus, has returned to work after recovering from the illness;
- The government is pushing emergency legislation through the Commons today, but Tory and Labour MPs have secured more checks on the measures including a fresh vote in six months;
- Research has suggested that the government’s current policy could still result in up to 70,000 deaths from coronavirus;
‘If people are in need then yes were gearing up for whatever they need, particularly those who have been identified as having underlying health needs.
‘We know this is going to be a really difficult time for them. Are partnerships locally are used to dealing with vulnerable people, so this isnt in that sense new, but the conditions and circumstances are of course very new.’
Mr May added the government had ‘helpfully’ given him advance warning last week of their plan to demand at risk group self-isolate for three months, with the local authority bringing together its partners to create a support plan.
But without the local lists of at-risk individuals, the hundreds in each council are being left confused.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said that now was the time to ‘go further’ to shield clinically vulnerable people, and pledged that they are ‘not alone’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries attend the news conference
‘We need the data, we’re not going to let the data get in the way, we need to get help to these people. We’ve got some military planners to help us with logistics,’ added Mr May.
‘We’ve got offers of volunteers, more than we can cope with actually.’
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said last night that now was the time to ‘go further’ to shield clinically vulnerable people, and pledged that they are ‘not alone’.
‘In recent weeks heroic workers in the NHS, social care and public services in local government have been shouldering the country’s burden,’ he said.
‘I think we owe it to them and the most vulnerable in society to stay home, to protect the NHS and, by doing this, to save lives.
‘And so today we have to go further to shield the most clinically vulnerable people to help save their lives.’
He added: ‘I don’t underestimate what we are asking of people, it will be tough, but if you are one of these people I want to reassure you on behalf of the government that you are not alone.
‘We will be with you throughout to support you.’
Mr Jenrick said the Government was creating a network of local ‘hubs’ to ensure those without family or friends to support them received their medicines and other vital supplies.
The ambitious plan is being overseen by the country’s best military planners, with medicine and food parcels being left on vulnerable people’s doorsteps.
He added: ‘This will be a very worrying time for people with these health conditions, but while more people will be required to be by themselves at home, and that’s difficult, let’s guarantee, that they are never alone, and when all of this is done that we emerge as better neighbours, to each other, as stronger communities and that we are all proud of the part we played in this effort.’
Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said 1.5 million people who have been identified as clinically vulnerable will be advised in the coming days to take shielding measures.
Those measures include staying at home at all times and avoiding any face-to-face contact.
However she said the Government may have overestimated the number.
‘For any of the public listening who might be in this group, because we want to be as inclusive as possible, we may slightly overestimate the number of individuals,’ Dr Harries said.
Earlier on Sunday, Mr Jenrick said that GPs were writing to thousands of patients with pre-existing health conditions and would be asking to stay at home.
Speaking to Sky’s Sophie Ridge yesterday Mr Jenrick added that those without a ‘family at their side’ would be given food medicine and deliveries possible from the armed forces to help them through the crisis.