Dear Member,

NHSE&I has issued guidance on minimising the spread of infection, this includes actions which will need to be taken as a result of test and trace. You will need to ensure you have updated your SOPs, have conducted risk assessments and updated your business continuity plans to reflect the changes which are ongoing during this pandemic – Click here to read Minimising nosocomial infections in the NHS.  

• How does Test and Trace affect Community Pharmacy? 
  • Close contacts will need to self-isolate for 14 days 
  • If a member of staff develops symptoms they must follow the stay at home guidance and get tested as soon as possible 
  • Test results 
    • Negative – Return to work once they are medically fit to do so after conducting a local risk assessment
    • Positive – Return to work after 7 days unless they still have symptoms other than a cough or loss of sense of smell/taste, in which case they must continue to self-isolate until they feel better 
  • Test and Trace rules apply to NHS settings including Community Pharmacies 
    • Close contacts MUST self-isolate if NHS Test and Trace service advises them to do so
    • Close contact excludes circumstances where PPE is being worn in accordance with current guidance on infection, prevention and control
    • Click here to download guidance on what PPE Pharmacists should be using 
• What to put in place to protect your teams – Click here for full PSNC Guidance on PPE, Staff Safety & Security 
  • Ensure PPE is worn in accordance with current guidelines
  • Maintain a 2 meter distance wherever possible 
  • Have protective screens installed in the pharmacy 
  • Staggered shift patterns 
  • Buddying arrangement with another pharmacy 
• Social Distancing and Infection Control Risk Review Template
  • If you have not already completed this Risk Review it is important you complete it now and review it on a regular basis as things change 
• Review your business continuity plan – Click here to view the PSNCs Business Continuity Page
  • Review arrangements for consequences of reduced staffing & take action where required 
  • Ensuring that arrangements are in place within a primary care network or between buddies to maintain patient access to services
  • Providers should inform their commissioner as soon as they consider that delivery of the full contracted service may be compromised by staff absence due to Test and Trace. The commissioner will work with the contractor to put business continuity arrangements in place and to maintain access to services for patients. The provider will need to update information on patient accessible websites and the impacted NHS 111 Directory of Services profiles will need to be updated.
  • The commissioner will inform the Regional Incident Coordination Centre without delay and work with the provider to implement appropriate business continuity measures. The Regional Team will notify the National Incident Coordination Centre
  • Network Resilience – Includes changes to opening hours, flexible opening hours, emergency closures, etc 
  • View the PSNCs page for resources for MDS, Care Homes, SCR, Smartcards, Supervised Consumption, plus more – Use these resources to update you business continuity plans as these services will be individual to yourselves 
• Community Pharmacy COVID-19 SOP
  • You should already have in place the COVID-19 SOP for Community Pharmacy 
  • Read and reviewed by the whole Pharmacy Team