On July 13 2021, National Voices sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed and endorsed by nearly 60 member organisations asking him to urgently reconsider the decision to lift virtually all infection control measures. We at the Addison's Disease Self-Help Group are proud to be one of the charities who signed and endorsed this important letter.

National Voices are the leading coalition of health and social care charities in England. The letter includes signatures from charities such as Alex, The Leukodystrophy Charity (Alex TLC), Diabetes UK, Crohns & Colitis UK and MS Society. 

By joining fellow medical and community leaders, we are united in our request for an approach that continues to take infection control seriously, raising our concerns about the sizeable proportion of the population who remain vulnerable to infection. We ask the government to urgently address very clearly the rights and needs of people who remain vulnerable to the virus and may have poor outcomes should they fall ill, such as those living with Addison's disease and adrenal insufficiency.

The letter also addresses subjects such as the strain on the NHS, waiting lists, people’s rights at work, and the need for much greater clarity in communication, and goes on to say: “The continued prevalence of high COVID infection rates is holding back the recovery. We can only crack on with the crucial recovery of non-COVID healthcare if we keep COVID infections and the ongoing need for COVID care low.

If we have thousands of people falling very ill again with COVID, it will damage the economy and the health system both in the short and long term more than the continued use of moderate COVID control measures … all recovery can only happen if rates of infection are kept low.

It also says: "The massive success of the vaccine programme stems from its commitment to prioritise those at greatest risk. This focus is what has broken the link between infections and deaths for now. We need to apply this thinking to the next phase: by focusing on those who remain at risk, we can minimise further harm and additional pressures on the NHS.”

The letter has also been sent to all MPs and is available to download from this page.

Download National Voices letter to the PM

The letter is already beginning to have an impact, hitting the national press and receiving coverage in a news piece in The Independent which you can read here. 

How you can help

We need your help to make sure the Government know this is a priority for our community.

Please share this letter on social media, tagging your local MP, the Prime Minister, and the Minister for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid. You can also make your MP aware of the letter by sending them a copy by post or email.

If you use Twitter, here is the link to one of our tweets which you can share.

Thank you for helping in making sure the rights and needs of people living at high risk from COVID-19 are not ignored, but prioritised. 

COVID-19 Information

Our COVID-19 page has lots of advice about staying safe if you have Addison's disease or adrenal insufficiency. If you haven't already taken up the offer of a vaccine, we'd urge you to do so. Vaccines work and are still the best way to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Read our members experiences of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine

We know that for some of you the news of coronavirus restrictions changing may be worrying. If you’re feeling worried about this or anything else, our online forum is a great place to speak with others and ask any questions you have. You can also visit our Sanctuary of Support page. As we've done throughout the pandemic, we'll continue to be with you every step of the way as restrictions come to an end. So if you need to talk, we're here.

How are you feeling about restrictions lifting? Take our anonymous 1-minute survey for people with adrenal insufficiency and let us know. Your contributions will help us support you in the coming months. The survey closes on Tuesday 27th July 2021. This survey is a collaboration between the ADSHG and The Pituitary Foundation.

Complete survey

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