Last updated on March 27th, 2024 at 01:31 pm
As of 1 April 2024, routine COVID-19 lateral flow device (LFD) testing of all asymptomatic individuals prior to discharge from hospital into care homes is no longer required.
Patients who do not have symptoms of COVID but are being discharged to care home from a current COVID outbreak ward should be tested either with LFD (obtained via the Discharge Co Ordinator) or by PCR via the Microbiology Laboratory, in the 48 hours prior to discharge to another care setting.
Patients with symptoms of COVID must still be tested using PCR.
Click here for the latest SWISS Nurse Covid Virtual Ward Proforma – last updated 05/02/21
Using the Swiss Nurse Covid Virtual Ward Proforma
The proforma must be used when referring patients to the community respiratory service Covid virtual ward on their day of discharge from hospital.
To complete a referral, the patient must:
- be Covid Positive and have required an inpatient stay or clinical intervention, eg: dexamethasone (if AED with definite Covid positive status)
- have an improving clinical trajectory e.g. inflammatory markers improving, symptoms improving
- have saturations >92% (and ambulatory not dropping below this)
How to refer:
- Refer on day of discharge not prior (as early as possible) Hours of work 9am -7pm daily
- Add the referral under ‘SWISS nurse referral List’ on Careflow
- Contact bleep 7107 to discuss the case with swiss nurse (‘Swiss’ without borders-covering Knowsley, St Helens, Halton, Liverpool patients that leave STHK)
- Send referral as per instructions on the back of the form