22 December 2021

FODO member alert - Covid update - 22 December

In this covid update:

• Updated College Covid FAQs
• Period of self-isolation following Covid exposure
• Infection prevention and control measures - reminder
• Covid transmission in the home
• Christmas opening
• SSP rebate scheme
• Staff sickness self-certification
• Workforce (and other) pressures
• FODO opening hours and newsletter - reminder

Updated College Covid FAQs

The College of Optometrists has updated its Covid FAQs to reflect recent clarifications for healthcare staff following exposure to Covid-19. The updated FAQs amalgamate several previous questions for convenience while leaving the content unchanged.

However, the following subsection (b) is new:

The contact is a member of the practice team or another person

If you are notified that you are a contact of a Covid-19 case, you need to self-isolate and arrange a PCR test. Following a negative PCR test result, you can return to work, with daily LFD testing for 10 days. The majority of fully vaccinated health and social care staff will be able to continue in their usual role. The following apply when you return to work following a negative PCR test result:

• You do not have any Covid-19 symptoms
• You should not have any travel-related isolation requirements
• Following the negative PCR result, the staff member should undertake an LFD antigen test every day for the 10 days following their last contact with the case (even on days they are not at work)
• If you have had a SARS-CoV-2 infection in the past 90 days, you should not have a PCR test and should only undertake daily LFD antigen tests
• You should complete the LFD antigen test before starting your shift, and the result should be negative
• You should continue to maintain high standards of IPC and comply with all relevant infection control precautions and PPE should be worn properly throughout the day
• You should not provide direct patient care to people aged over 80 or extremely clinical vulnerable patients.

If any of the above cannot be met, the staff member should not come to work and should follow the stay-at-home guidance for the full 10-day period. 

Period of self-isolation following Covid exposure

As you know, the Health Secretary has announced that the required period for self-isolation following a Covid exposure in England was now seven rather than ten days (subject to negative lateral flow results on days six and seven). UKHSA has confirmed this guidance also applies to healthcare workers, although when going back into a work setting, healthcare workers are asked to continue testing on days 8, 9 and 10 (see section 2.2 of updated UKHSA guidance issued today). 

Infection prevention and control measures - reminder

NHSEI has asked all the primary care professions to remind contractors and practitioners of the continuing need for vigilance in rigorously applying IPC measures. These have not changed with the advent of Omicron, as they should be equally effective irrespective of the variant. FODO members should therefore continue to follow College (amber phase) and ABDO guidance - read the FAQs. 

Covid transmission in the home

Some members have queried The College of Optometrists advice that "if the contact is a close member of [your] household, in general circumstances, your senior manager will ask you to self-isolate, [because] the risk of Covid transmission may be higher for people within your home than a single episode of a Covid-19 close contact in another environment".
 
This does not appear in NHSEI's 'Updated UK Health Security Agency guidance on NHS staff, student and volunteer self-isolation and return to work following Covid-19' (C1500) issued on 16 December. However, the College guidance is based on SAGE advice that the risk of transmission with Omicron is nearly three times higher in the home, and the College is therefore seeking to maximise protection for both staff and patients.
 
Optical practices are advised to follow the College guidance. 

Christmas opening

NHSEI will not be making any special requests for primary care contractors to remain open this year (although some general practices and pharmacies will remain open by choice to continue with vaccination booster programmes). In the case of GOS practices, normal Christmas and New Year closure arrangements apply. 

SSP rebate scheme

The government has reintroduced the Covid Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, under which businesses with fewer than 250 employees will be reimbursed SSP for Covid-related absences. The reimbursement is for up to two weeks per employee. SMEs can make claims from now and retrospectively from mid-January. 

Staff sickness self-certification

The Department for Work & Pensions has temporarily extended the period under which employees can self-certify for sick absence from 7 to 28 days until 26 January 2022. This is to relieve pressure on general medical practices implementing the higher priority of vaccination and booster programmes. 

Workforce (and other) pressures

Last week's Covid update advised members to contingency plan for staff absences due to infection with or exposure to Covid (given the Omicron variant's higher infectivity rate) wherever  possible.
 
OFNC (of which FODO is a key member) is in regular contact with NHSEI about workforce and other pressures resulting from Omicron on the eye care frontline. So, please inform us of any difficulties, and we will ensure they are raised. Doing so will also enable us to share an up-to-date picture of what is happening across the sector with NHSEI and contextualise what e-GOS data are showing. 

FODO opening hours and newsletter - reminder

FODO will remain open over the holiday period should members need to get in touch.
 
This will be the final newsletter of 2021. It will return on 7 January. We will, however, send members any urgent news during this period.