In today’s update:
- No change to PPE safety measures at Trust
- Inpatient testing procedures – reminder
No change to PPE safety measures at Trust
Although changes regarding PPE have been proposed across the NHS this week, there are currently no changes to Trust procedures until further notice.
Staff are therefore reminded that appropriate PPE is required in all areas, this includes the use of goggles/visors in clinical areas.
Full details of the required PPE can be found here: https://covid.sthk.nhs.uk/what-to-wear-and-when/
Any changes will be communicated to staff before they come into effect.
Please keep up-to-date via the staff COVID update emails, and via the staff COVID website: https://covid.sthk.nhs.uk/
Inpatient testing procedures – reminder
Repeat testing of patients who have a negative admission screen
Any inpatients who test negative on their admission screen on day 1, should be retested by PCR on day 3 of admission (day of admission is taken as day 1).
Then, unless the patient is found to be positive, repeat screening should be undertaken on day 7.
Patients who are awaiting this repeat test result but who do not have clinical features of COVID-19 do NOT need isolation in side rooms (unless they also have another reason to require this e.g. another infectious disease requiring isolation precautions or infection alert such as MRSA/VRE/CPE).
Further testing after day 7 of admission is not routinely indicated unless the patient develops new symptoms of COVID-19, as a part of outbreak screening advised by the Infection Prevention Team, prior to a planned aerosol generating procedure (AGP) or required for the purposes of discharge to a care home.
Currently there are no other changes to pre-existing patient testing protocols. Full details of guidance on COVID testing of patients can be found at https://covid.sthk.nhs.uk/current-case-definition-and-assessment-flow-chart/.