Coronavirus  (COVID-19)

Please ensure you familiarise yourself with the below advice regarding coronavirus. We’ve also put together some frequently asked questions for you to download. To find out how we are supporting our clients, click here. 

Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Recommended guidelines on PPE for homecare/ domiciliary workers from Public Health England

Recommended guidelines on PPE for care homes from Public Health England

• If you attend an establishment where there is no PPE available, you must report this to your branch immediately. 

For further information on PPE in a care setting, please refer to Gov.uk

Guidance for healthcare providers: healthcare workers with relevant travel, healthcare or household contact history

For further advice please refer to the NHS online

If people wish to check their symptoms, please refer them to the NHS 111 online tool

What is coronavirus? Find out more

A coronavirus is a type of virus. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

How is coronavirus transmitted?

Coronaviruses are mainly transmitted by large respiratory droplets and direct or indirect contact with infected secretions. They have also been detected in blood, faeces and urine and, under certain circumstances, airborne transmission is thought to have occurred from respiratory secretions and faecal material.

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a new, persistent cough
• a high temperature

Call 111 if you think you might have coronavirus and keep your team informed.

If you or someone in your household has either of the above symptoms please follow the Governments isolation advice

General advice on whether you are “high risk” and what is self-isolation?

General advice on what you can do to avoid catching or spreading infection

There’s currently no vaccine for coronavirus, but there are things you can do to help stop germs like coronavirus spreading:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• Put used tissues in the bin straight away (catch it, bin it, kill it)
• Wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
• Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell
• Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

Infection control when working in a healthcare setting

• Do not travel in your uniform, change at work
• Wash your uniform at 60c or above
• Ensure you familiarise yourself with local policies and procedures and any updates to these concerning coronavirus
• Ensure you adopt good hand-washing techniques with soap and water before and after all patient contact, if hands are soiled and after removal of protective clothing.
• Ensure you wear PPE (gloves and apron) in accordance with standard infection control policies and your training.
• Please practice trained standard precautions when handling any clinical waste.

Travel

If you’re planning to travel abroad please check the country by country travel advice on GOV.UK

Stay home if you or a member of your household are experiencing symptoms.  Do not go to a GP surgery or hospital. Stay indoors and avoid close contact with other people, use the NHS online tool.

Read more from Nurseplus about Coronoavirus on our website or visit Gov.co.uk for all of the latest information.