THOUSANDS of vulnerable patients in York were not told to shield until months after lockdown began last year, figures reveal.

The Government originally asked those considered to be the most vulnerable to Covid-19 to isolate at home in March last year with figures from NHS Digital showing that 3,995 patients in York were on the shielding list by April 12 - the earliest version available.

Local doctors were then asked to review the data, causing the patient count to swell to 7,495 by May 15 – an increase of 88 per cent.

Across England, reviews led shielding numbers to increase by 73 per cent – but this varied hugely regionally, from just 15 per cent in Carlisle to 352 per cent in the London borough of Hounslow. The list grew from 1.3 million to 2.2 million nationally.

While the Commons Public Accounts Committee said the level of variation was evidence of a postcode lottery, Julian Sturdy MP (York Outer, Conservative) said "the clear majority of York shielders" were put on the list by May. The MP said gradual additions to the list meant an extra 800,000 people were thereby prioritised for vaccination.

Mr Sturdy said: "The shielding list has obviously been updated in the course of the pandemic, as our medical and science professionals have learnt more about coronavirus, and the conditions that make people more vulnerable to it.

"I am glad to see from these figures that the clear majority of York shielders were put on the list by May last year, when local doctors added their patient information to the centrally-held NHS data.

"While developing the shielding programme, we must remember the government and NHS was simultaneously developing a vaccination system that protected the vulnerable first.

"However, there may well be ways medical records could have better reflected conditions conferring vulnerability, and there could be improvements to be made in data sharing to allow rapid compilation of a shielding list, and this will be an important point for an inquiry to examine when the pandemic is over."

Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier said this was caused by "poor data" and a lack of "joined-up policy systems".

She said: “The shielding response in the Covid pandemic has particularly exposed the high human cost of the lack of planning for shielding in pandemic-planning scenarios.

“People were instructed to isolate, to protect themselves and others – but the cost of this protection was reduced access to living essentials like food, and an untold toll on mental health and wellbeing.”

MPs also found that a contact centre established to trace those who did not respond to an initial shielding letter was unable to reach 800,000 people – and it is still not known whether they had been contacted by local authorities.

Clinically extremely vulnerable patients in England have not needed to isolate since April 1, by which point over 90 per cent had received at least one vaccine dose.

The national shielding list increased significantly again in February, when scientists developed a new tool to assess whether someone is at risk of severe disease or death.

The latest update shows the number on the shielding list in York has risen to 11,520 as of April 14 – 7,525 more than a year previously.

Sharon Stoltz, Director of Public Health for City of York Council, said: “In line with national level guidance, decisions around shielding have been made by the NHS.

“Through our volunteer support hub we have offered additional help and assistance to those who may need it whilst shielding, and we will continue to offer this support as long as it is required.

“Our COVID helpline remains open to help anyone who needs it, whether that is collecting food or prescriptions or someone to talk to. The helpline is contactable on 01904 551550 or by emailing COVID19help@york.gov.uk.”

The British Medical Association said inadequate planning and unclear Government communication made shielding a distressing experience, and jeopardised the public's health and wellbeing.

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul added: “The shielding lists could have been created more quickly and effectively rather than shifting criteria and suddenly increasing the number of people on the list.

"This led to a huge rise in workload having to contact large numbers of people within a short time frame without comprehensive guidance."

The Government said it delivered an urgent national scheme to contact people and provide them with vital food and medicine so they could shield – but many chose not to take up the offer.

A spokesperson added: “These report findings are disappointing and misjudged.

“We have learned more about the virus and adapted our approach, which has enabled us to protect those most vulnerable by providing them with shielding guidance and prioritising them for vaccination.”