We have changed some of our Covid-19 notifications to make them easier to use.
We have created four specific notifications to enable you to tell us when there are suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19, and when these end.
Please use the same notifications both for staff and for people experiencing care.
The four new notifications are specifically:
1) Suspected cases of Covid-19 – please use this when someone who experiences care or a member of staff, including agency workers, shows symptoms of coronavirus. The notification can record multiple individuals, therefore if several people show symptoms at the same time, you only need to complete one notification.
2) End of suspected outbreak of Covid-19 – please use this notification if the suspected cases result in negative tests, or after they have shown no symptoms for a period of 14 days.
3) Confirmed cases of Covid-19 notification – Please use this notification whenever someone experiencing care, or a member of staff, including agency staff, tests positive for Covid-19. Please also use this notification if a test has not been possible but coronavirus is confirmed by a medical professional. You need to complete this notification for each person who has been confirmed as having Covid-19.
4) End of confirmed Covid-19 outbreak notification – Please use this notification when the outbreak of Covid-19 has come to an end, based on negative tests, or when people who had symptoms have shown no symptoms for 14 days.
You should follow the flowchart below to work out what notification to use when.
When you complete these notifications, please do not share with us the names of people who are using your service or staff. For ‘Confirmed cases of Covid-19 notification’ please just use people’s initials.
Please continue to tell us about staff absences due to Covid-19 using the ‘Staff absence’ notification.
The current ‘outbreak of an infectious diseases’ notifications (including the ‘update to’ and ‘end of an outbreak of infectious disease’) will be updated and will be used for their original purpose, for example to notify us of an outbreak of influenza or norovirus.
