COVID-19

 

Government Guidance: Testing positive for Covid-19 in a health and social care setting and self-isolation

As of 21 February 2022, the government announced the Living with Covid plan, which included changes to self-isolation rules.

Bank Members who have tested positive for COVID-19 should not attend an assignment until they have had two consecutive negative LFD test results taken at least 24 hours apart. The first test should not be taken before day 5, after their initial positive test. These tests need to be 24 hours apart, and providing you are medically fit and do not have a high temperature, you can return to work on the morning of day 6, providing you tested negative 24 hours earlier.

This advice is in line with the current government guidance for those working in health and social care settings. The latest version is located here COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings - GOV.UK. All Bank Members are required to follow the current government guidance for those working in health and social care settings.

  

COVID-19 Vaccinations

As the COVID-19 vaccination process is now underway, we have been in touch with our Trusts and with the Department of Health & Social Care to understand how our workers will be offered the vaccine.

We can now confirm that NHS Professionals (NHSP) flexible workers will be offered the vaccine based on Public Health England guidance. This will be carried out by NHS Trusts that you work at and not by NHSP directly.

Each Trust is working on vaccinating workers at pace and it is anticipated that, this month, all hospitals will be set-up as hubs to enable vaccines to be provided to staff. Prioritisation will initially be given to frontline workers based on the following criteria:

• those at high risk of acquiring infection
• those at high individual risk of developing serious disease
• or those at risk of transmitting infection to multiple vulnerable persons or other staff in a healthcare environment

As each Trust starts to roll out the vaccine to flexible workers, you will be contacted by the Trust to receive it. In order for you to be contacted we will be providing some information about you to the trust so that they can get in touch and confirm your appointment. The timing and location for receiving the vaccination will vary by Trust and will be communicated to you as part of the process.

Once you have received your vaccination, we will be asking all NHSP flexible workers to communicate this to us. An electronic recording mechanism is being established which will be rolled out in the coming weeks. We will send out a separate communication in advance with instructions of how to complete this. If you have already had the vaccine, or are due to have it in the next few weeks, please keep hold of the details of when and where you had the vaccine so that this can be reported when the system becomes available.

 

Risk Assessments

We are highly encouraging bank members particularly those more at risk to complete a risk assessment, you would have received an email from NHSP with a link to complete your risk assessment online. It involves you answering a series of questions designed to indicate whether you are likely to be at greater risk of developing more serious symptoms if you come into contact with COVID-19. The results of this risk assessment will help you, NHSP and the Trusts you work in to know if you require temporary redeployment to a work area considered low exposure to COVID-19 or temporary workplace modifications based on your level of risk. You can find out more about risk assessments by visiting our FAQ pages.

 

Last updated: 28/02/2022