In spring, NHS staff responded to the looming COVID-19 pandemic with an impressive level of strategic planning. As operating theatres closed and ICU beds were created, anaesthetists and intensivists faced new challenges on the ‘frontline’.

However, a small and unknown number of these doctors were issued with stark instructions from the government to shield themselves from the crisis.

Facing an unexpected disruption to careers and training, shielding doctors found themselves confined to their homes. This disconnection from the frontline created significant practical and psychological challenges.

Shielding advice was issued to those at highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

The ‘extremely clinically vulnerable’ are those who have a specific set of conditions. These include: solid organ transplant recipients; certain cancers; severe respiratory conditions; people with rare diseases at risk of infection; those on certain immunosuppressive therapies; and pregnant women with heart conditions.

Shielding instructions are stringent and in place for months. Some doctors are shielding ‘by proxy’, to protect another adult or child within their own household.

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