Covid-19 advice for pregnant workers

The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology provides guidance on what health care workers should do if they are pregnant. Existing legislation protecting pregnant must be followed. In addition, the following recommendations have been offered:

Protection of all pregnant healthcare workers:

In light of limited evidence, all pregnant workers should be offered the choice of whether to work in direct patient-facing roles.

Choices for pregnant healthcare workers prior to 28 weeks’ gestation:

Risk assessments should be carried out, and if a pregnant worker chooses to work in patient facing roles, they should be supported to do so by minimising risk of transmission through established methods. As for all healthcare workers, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and risk assessments according to current guidance will provide pregnant workers with protection from infection.

Healthcare workers after 28 weeks’ gestation or with underlying health conditions

For pregnant women from 28 weeks’ gestation, or with underlying health conditions such as heart or lung disease at any gestation, a more precautionary approach is advised. Women in this category should be recommended to stay at home.

New mothers wanting to return to the workforce

Any mother thinking of returning early from maternity leave should be allowed provided she is fit and healthy to work, subject to any employment law restrictions, and following the same infection control and strict hygiene measures.

PPE posters from Health Protection Scotland

To provide absolute clarity on what the revised PPE changes mean for health and social care staff working on the frontline, HPS has produced visual posters specifying what kind of PPE should be worn in which setting or scenario. A poster has been produced for each of the following settings:

1.Healthcare settings: Caring for patients not suspected or known to have COVID-19

2.Community settings: Caring for patients or residents not suspected or known to have COVID-19

3.All health and social care settings: Caring for patients who are confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19

4.High risk acute areas: Caring for patients who are confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19

The posters have been made available on the COVID-19 section of the HPS website at https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/covid-19/ so that they can be printed and displayed in each of the respective settings. You can also download the posters below.

A3 Posters 

A4 Posters

New Covid-19 palliative care guidance – 3 April

Two new Covid-19 Guidelines have been added to the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines. The new guidelines are for symptom management for when a person is imminently dying from Covid-19 and for supporting end of life care when alternatives to medication normally given through syringe pumps are required. The standard end of life care guidelines should be used for all other situations.

Further guidance related to Covid-19 is also now available on the Guidelines website and includes:

• Anticipatory Care Planning guidance
• Communications guide
• Practical resources to help professionals giving medicines
• Signposts to support members of the public through serious illness death and loss
• Support for professionals themselves

Revised PPE guidance now available – 2 April

A revised PPE guidance has been issued jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care, Health Protection Scotland (HPS), Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England.

This guidance outlines what PPE frontline health and social care workers should be wearing in different settings and scenarios. Please see below for letter issued to Scottish Care with further information on this guidance.

CNO CMO letter PPE guidance COVID-19 - 2 April 2020

Health Protection Scotland has also published posters for use by social, community and residential settings.

Updated Guidance from Health Protection Scotland – 2 April

The following guidance on COVID-19: Information and Guidance for Social or Community Care & Residential Settings was updated on the 2nd April 2020 by Health Protection Scotland. it is now Version 1.6.

This now includes updated information and guidance for PPE. This guidance is to support those workingin social or community care and residential (SCCR) settings to give advice to their staff and users of their services about Covid-19.

03_04_201_covid-19-guidance-for-social-or-community-care-and-residential-settings

Care Home Representatives Call for Urgent Legislation Change for More Staff

An independent group representing the Nation’s care providers, who care and support over 1.2 million vulnerable people across all forms of social care in the UK, have issued an urgent letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnston.

The group, alongside the support of the Independent Health and Care Providers (IHCP), Care England, Scottish Care and Fforwm Gofal Cymru, has outlined the urgent need for more staff to cover the increased demand on their services and cover staff shortages caused by sickness and self‐isolation during the Covid-19 outbreak.

They request that a clarification is made in legislation that anyone wishing to work in the provision of care including the NHS or any form of Social Care, will be permitted to take up paid employment in the NHS and with social care providers, even if they are currently furloughed in other industries and receiving 80% of their wage.

They have asked that furloughed workers receive their 80% payment AND to work in care and get paid for this at no penalty. Allowing the NHS and social care providers to employ such people with no penalty.

Dr Donald Macaskill, Chief Executive of Scottish Care, a membership organisation that represents over 900 social care organisations in Scotland, delivering residential care, nursing care, day care, home care and housing support services both in the private and voluntary sector (www.scottishcare.org) said:

“The next few days and weeks will be critical in meeting the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic. Right across Scotland thousands of women and men are leaving their homes every day to go to hospitals, care homes and communities to care for some of our most vulnerable, older and disabled citizens. We need to do everything we can to support them.

We are already facing critical shortages of staff because of the requirement to self-isolate if a family member has or is suspected of having Covid-19. We will face even greater staff shortage in the weeks ahead.”

“During this crisis we are supporting the NHS by helping free up hospital beds for those who will be admitted due to the virus as well as caring for those who have contracted it.

“But we now need more support and urgent action from Government to allow us to recruit more staff to help us during a time when there is a huge increase in demand on our staffing.

“We ask that an amendment is added to allow the NHS and social care providers, in homes or in community, to provide paid employment to staff furloughed from other industries.

“This action would have a significant positive impact on our staffing and our ability to maintain the high level of care we currently provide. It would help us support our existing workforce’s health and wellbeing and provide cover for the inevitable loss of staff to sickness and self‐isolation.

“Our teams across the UK are doing an incredible job under extreme pressure and putting themselves at risk everyday – we want to do everything we can to support them.

Donald concluded: “I, alongside my counterparts in Scotland and the rest of the UK call for an immediate amendment to the legislation to allow us to get on with the important job of staff recruitment to allow the elderly and vulnerable in our society to get the care they deserve.”