IPC support for Adult Social Care colleagues

Staff member vaccination resources:

Adult Social Care Staff member vaccination assessment form

Occupational Health for Adult Social Care providers

A summary of current guidnace:

• Testing:  It is no longer recommended to test individual residents and staff for COVID -19 if they develop respiratory symptoms unless they are pre-eligible for COVID-19 treatments (they will have had a letter from the NHS telling them they are eligible).
• Where an outbreak is suspected (2 or more linked resident cases within 14 days) test up to 5 symptomatic residents: 
  • Only the first 5 residents with symptoms of a respiratory infection will be asked to take an LFD test to identify if there is an outbreak of COVID-19. All other symptomatic residents should be isolated on symptoms alone.
  • Where none of the 5 residents with respiratory symptoms are covid positive please contact UKHSA regarding potential for a Flu outbreak
• Isolation:
  • Symptomatic (symptoms of a respiratory infection and a high temperature or do not feel well enough work or carry out normal activities) staff and residents should isolate/staff off work
• De-isolation of residents (and return to work for staff):
  • For those who tested covid positive – 5 days from covid test and should be apyrexial
  • For those who were isolated based on symptoms – deisolate once apyrexial and well
• Ending outbreak measures:
  • All restrictions in the setting can be lifted when 5 days have passed with no new residents developing symptoms.

How do I get access to LFD and PCR tests at the weekend?

• The ICB IPC team are unable to access LFD or PCR tests for providers. Please order new stock here.

How do we order tests if we don’t know our UON code?

• Please use the UON look-up page.

What do we do if we are due to undertake outbreak testing, but have run out of tests or realised they are out of date?

• Place an order for more tests as soon as you can and contact your IPC nurse or the IPC hotline on the next working day.  Please note:  Homes are no longer required to undertake Day 0, Day 4-7, recovery testing or test to return to work/de-isolate.  Please keep at least 5 LFD tests in stock at all times.

What do we do if our test results have come back as inconclusive?

• PCR tests are no longer required inthe majority of circumstances, please discuss with the organisation who requested PCR tests.  

What do we do if we have identified new cases of COVID-19 amongst staff and/or residents?

• Please follow the guidance on outbreak management and testing: Infection prevention and control in adult social care / COVID-19 testing for adult social care settings.  Current guidance states outbreak measures should remain until you have had no new resident cases for 5 days.

What do we do if we have identified new cases of COVID-19 among staff and/or residents, but we don’t know if they are linked or not?

• Declare an outbreak where there is definite transmission between cases; i.e. work in the same team, provided care to the resident, no community contact with a positive case.
• Where there is no obvious link to cases do not test but continue to be vigilant for symptoms amongst staff and residents

If a staff member is covid positive but feels well, can they work?

• Please see the national guidance on healthcare staff with symptoms or who are positive for COVID-19.