Please note the COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care has been updated.

Summary of changes

This information below outlines the changes to this guidance since 11 October 2022.

Outbreak management

1. Updated to reflect policy change to enable care homes to initiate their own risk assessments and determine outbreak measures should they feel able to do so.
2. Updated to add detail on when cases may or may not be linked within a care home.
3. Updated to distinguish between ‘if an outbreak is suspected’ and ‘if an outbreak is identified’.

If a member of staff is symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19

1. New section to move information previously under ‘Staff movement’ to distinguish what staff should do in the event of symptoms or a positive test (please see the sections on ‘ What to do if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and have not taken a COVID-19 test’ and  ‘What to do if you have a positive COVID-19 test result’ for the latest guidance.
2. Updated to remove symptoms list and instead link to NHS guidance on COVID-19 symptoms.
3. Updated to move ‘If a staff member receives a negative or inconclusive test result’ to COVID-19 testing in adult social care guidance (see the section on ‘ If a member of staff is symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19’ for details).

Personal Protective Equipment

1. Updated to reflect policy change to remove recommendation for universal masking at all times (please see the section on ‘PPE recommendations summary’).
2. Masks are no longer universally required and there are also changes to out