Infection Prevention and Control Guidance
DHSC published an update to the infection prevention and control COVID-19 supplement this morning. The changes are mainly points of clarity rather than any significant policy change. We are aware of some inconsistencies which have been introduced into the document and have made DHSC aware – these are being fixed. Do note that the accompanying summary document has not yet been properly updated. The only changes:
Aerosol Generating Procedures – Correction to first paragraph, continuous positive airway pressure ventilation (CPAP) removed as an example of an AGP in the community, clarified suctioning and tracheostomy procedures in the first paragraph.
IPC Considerations for people receiving care – Updated the section ‘if a person receiving care is symptomatic or tests positive’ to reflect that people with cognitive conditions such as dementia may present with atypical symptoms. They have also removed the requirement for care homes to report single resident cases to the HPT.
Outbreak Management – Updated to clarify visiting guidance during an outbreak. It states that there should be proportionate changes to visiting – some forms of visiting should be enabled to continue if individual risk assessments are carried out.
Visiting and Face Masks – Updated to clarify that all visitors are encouraged to wear face masks rather than face coverings.
