I  writing in response to the request for comments on the impact of Covid inquiry.

I have lived in Wales all my life, I am a 67 year old woman and unfortunately have a medical condition that has included me in the group asked to shield.

My husband is 72 and disabled and also shielding. We have not been given any help or support. When I made an enquiry for assistance at the counciI, they told me the help was only for those who were struggling financially, I was only given  the telephone numbers of charities who might arrange shopping. We have however managed for ourselves using the Internet for our supplies.

We have shielded now for 11 weeks and only left home for 2 hospital appointments.

At the start of the outbreak I had been on the National Transplant Register for 3 months waiting for a kidney transplant.

I attend the UHW Heath Hospital where all my clinics are held.

 I had 2 appointments pending, 1 at the Access clinic to prepare for dialysis and a second for a liver scan.

Both these appointments were cancelled. The first appointment at the Access clinic was cancelled at short notice. This means that should I need dialysis it will have to be carried out by emergency via a cannula. ( my GFR is now 8).

More seriously and distressingly was the suspension of the Transplant list in Wales, but not at all hospitals in the rest of the U.K. thus putting Welsh transplant patients at a severe disadvantage.

 This decision has no doubt cost lives and/or shortened the lives of patients waiting for organs.

It was made unnecessarily and without due consideration to the impact, stress and health those already in a difficult position.

The transplant list is now going to be reinstated for patients under 60. With no plans as to when over 60’s transplant will be resumed. I question this decision because the government identified over 70 as being the age group to shield. The statistics do not  show the rise in deaths is not significant until 74 plus and is also high in males and people from BAME backgrounds.

Surely each case should be considered individually and not just by age?

I have now had an appointment with the Access team and they arranged to carry out a procedure  on 15th June, at the Spire Hospital.

However,  on Friday afternoon last, 5th June, that appointment was cancelled. I objected to the decision and eventually after discussion with my Renal Nurse they decided they would go ahead with the procedure.

The procedure is the fitting a venal fistula, and the healing time is 6-8 weeks, so because of all the cancellations and delays there is still a possibility that I may need to have emergency dialysis.

So, for me the Covid impact has been immense,

 I feel my health has been severely compromised. I am sure other patients must feel the same.

Why could the Covid patients not have been transferred to the Dragon hospital at the Stadium as soon as it was available? This would have left the other hospitals free to treat non Covid patients. Alternatively 1 hospital such a Llandough, which is isolated, could have been a Covid centre.