Guidance

Infection prevention and control in adult social care: COVID-19 supplement

Sets out how to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in adult social care settings in England.

From:
UK Health Security Agency and Department of Health and Social Care and UK Health Security Agency
Published
31 March 2022
Last updated
825 JuneAugust 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care

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COVID-19 testing: terms and conditions

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COVID-19 self-test for staff, service users and visitors in adult social care settings: privacy notice

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Details

The guidance is to be used to support the response to coronavirus (COVID-19). It applies to adult social care settings and services in England from 3 April 2023. It should be read with the infection prevention and control (IPC) resource for adult social care, which should be used as a basis for any IPC response.

This guidance now also includes all information on COVID-19 testing in adult social care, and details the testing regimes for eligible staff and residents and where outbreaks are suspected.

The guidance is for people responsible for setting and maintaining standards of IPC within adult social care in England, such as care managers.

See also:

Published 31 March 2022
Last updated 825 JuneAugust 2023 + show all updates

  1. Updated information on accessing COVID-19 treatment and on availability of vaccination for those eligible.

  2. Clarified information on admission of care home residents in 'COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care'.

  3. Removed digital reader information from 'COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care'.

  4. Removed notice about changes coming into effect from 'COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care'.

  5. Moved 'COVID-19 testing: terms and conditions' and 'COVID-19 self-test for staff, service users and visitors in adult social care settings: privacy notice' from COVID-19 testing for adult social care services.

  6. Updated to reflect changes to testing policy implemented from 3 April 2023. Information previously contained within the 'COVID-19 testing in adult social care guidance' included.

  7. Updated section on face masks: visitors as well as staff might consider wearing a mask if they're aware they are a household or overnight contact of someone who has had a positive test result for COVID-19.

  8. Updated to reflect announcement on use of masks: the guidance now recommends a risk-based approach. The guidance has also been updated to reflect changes to outbreak management in care homes that enable providers to initiate risk assessment themselves. Added a section covering if a member of staff is symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19.

  9. Updated to add links to COVID-19 PPE guide for adult social care services and settings, COVID-19 PPE guide for unpaid carers, and PPE guide for non-aerosol generating procedures.

  10. Updated guidance on asymptomatic testing. This reflects policy changes that remove guidance for staff to conduct regular asymptomatic testing and remove guidance for visitors providing personal care to test asymptomatically. Updated discharge from hospital advice to make clear that the period of isolation is continuous and does not restart moving between services. Removed the document 'Summary of changes to COVID-19 guidance to adult social care providers'. All IPC guidance on COVID-19 for adult social care settings is in the document still on this page.

  11. Updated attachment 'COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care': 1. 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. 2. Updated 'IPC considerations for people receiving care' to reflect that people with cognitive conditions such as dementia may present with atypical symptoms. 3. Updated to clarify that all visitors are encouraged to wear face masks rather than face coverings.

  12. Updated 'COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care’ to reflect the latest guidance on symptoms and aerosol-generating procedures. Added further information on testing and PPE for live-in carers.

  13. First published.