Coronavirus
| Message for patients: the information on this page is aimed at health professionals. Information and advice about coronavirus for patients, including getting an NHS test, can be found at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/. |
This page is being regularly updated. If you are struggling to find something enter a key word or phrase in the 'search our website' box above.
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COVID-19 Vaccination Programme: visit our COVID-19 Vaccination Programme guidance page or the latest information for general practice about the programme. |
The page is divided into three main sections:
- Updates for General Practice - our FAQs plus the most recent updates from the LMC and NHS.
- Resources and Documents - useful resources, divided into categories
- Advice and Guidance - links to external sites which are regularly updated with new coronavirus guidance
1. Updates for General Practice:
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View all editions of our round up of news and guidance. |
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NHS England and NHS Improvement Primary Care bulletin |
2. Resources and Documents:
| Care Homes | |
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| Testing for Professionals Visiting Care Homes (March 2021) | DoH guidance setting out the testing policy for visiting health and care professionals who need to visit residents within care homes |
| LMC Summary of care home requests for Covid-19 Clinical Service model compared to care home specification for 2020/2021 PCN DES - 03 June 2020 | LMC document which provides our interpretation, commentary and references for the requests for primary care support under the Covid-19 Clinical Service Model and compares this to the care home specification PCN DES. |
| Clinical | |
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| Priority Medicines for Palliative and End of Life Care during a Pandemic - 06 May 2020 | Clinical guidance approved by NHSE for essential end of life medicines; sets out the first and second choices for these medicines. |
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Notifiable diseases (weblinks): |
Please note that COVID 19 is a notifiable disease and that there is a statutory requirement for GPs to report cases. See our FAQs for a summary. |
| Clinical guidelines for the control of symptoms in the COVID-19 patient in a community setting - 02 April 2020 | Guidance from HERPC (Hull and East Riding Prescribing Committee). Prepared by the palliative care team including input from geriatricians, Macmillian pharmacists and GPs. |
| Warfarin - Safe Switching Guidance | Guidance for the safe switching of warfarin to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for patients with non-valvular AF and venous thromboembolism (DVT / PE) during the coronavirus pandemic |
| Death Certification | |
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| Support for the bereaved - gov.uk weblink | Information to help bereaved families, friends or next of kin make important decisions when someone dies during the coronavirus pandemic. |
| COVID-19: death certification and cremation during the coronavirus pandemic (weblink) | Link to BMA guidance page on verification and certification of death and cremation for a temporary period during which emergency measures are in place to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak. |
| Cremation Medical Certificate (weblink) | The Cremation Medical Certificate (form 4) has been updated to provide for a medical practitioner completing the form on their computer or other device to embed an electronic signature. This will enable the form to be sent via another person’s email account, such as a medical administrator, without the form having to be first printed and signed. |
| Coronavirus (COVID-19): verification of death in times of emergency (weblink) | Guidance has also been produced by the Government on Coronavirus (COVID-19): verification of death in times of emergency. This guidance is designed to clarify existing practice for the verification of death outside of hospitals and to provide a framework for safe verification of death in this coronavirus emergency period. |
| Guidance for Remote Verification of Expected Death (VoED) Out of Hospital - 12 May 2020 | BMA/RCGP guidance for designed to provide remote support for people (such as care workers) who have not had training in verifying death so that the verification process can be completed by a clinician safely and speedily. Only to be used in an emergency situation. |
| Domestic Abuse | |
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| Coronavirus: Safety Advice for Survivors (website link) | Advice from Women's Aid on accessing help with domestic abuse in the coronavirus pandemic. |
| Face Masks | |
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| Face Mask Exemptions | LMC advice regarding requests for proof of exemption from the requirement to wear a face mask. |
| Face coverings: when to wear one, exemptions, and how to make your own | Government guidance on face masks, including where and when they should be worn, and exemptions. |
| Advice for GP Surgeries Regarding Patients and Face Masks | LMC guidance on use of face masks by patients in GP surgeries/health premises. |
| Fit Notes | |
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| Government guidance on making workplaces Covid-secure. Includes information for employers on accepting Isolation Notes as medical evidence to support absence from work, and not requiring employees to get a fit note from a GP. | |
| Fit note: guidance for GPs | Information for GPs about how to complete each section of the fit note, with case studies to show different situations. |
| Indemnity | |
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| Clinical negligence indemnity in response to Coronavirus - 04 April 2020 | Joint letter from the Department for Health and Social Care, NHS Resolution, and NHS England and NHS Improvement: clinical negligence indemnity in response to Coronavirus. |
| Clinical Negligence Scheme for Coronavirus - weblink | NHS Resolution information on the scheme to meet liabilities arising from the special healthcare arrangements being put in place in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Includes FAQs. |
| Locum GPs | |
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| BMA Model Terms for Locum GP Contract for Temporary Employment (weblink) - April 2020 | BMA practice/provider agreement: model terms of engagement for a GP providing temporary COVID-19 services. They can be used for the temporary engagement of a GP by a GP practice or other primary care provider for COVID-19 services and are recommended by the BMA as good practice. |
| Mental Capacity | |
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| Coronavirus (COVID-19): looking after people who lack mental capacity - gov.uk weblink | Guidance for health and social care staff who are caring for, or treating, a person who lacks the relevant mental capacity. |
| Notifying Cases of Covid-19 | |
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| Notifiable diseases and causative organisms: how to report | COVID-19 is a notifiable disease as of 5 March 2020 by virtue of a statutory instrument which made it into law and COVID-19 was added to the list of notifiable diseases and SARS-COV-2 to the list of notifiable causative agents. Full details. |
| Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) | |
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| Guidance from gov.uk on infection prevention and control for COVID-19. | |
| Use of PPE when verifying a death - 30 June 2020 | Guidance developed by the LMC following queries from practices. |
| PPE portal: how to order emergency personal protective equipment - gov.uk weblink | This explains how healthcare providers can order additional personal protective equipment (PPE) through the portal to top up their existing supplies for COVID-19 in an emergency. |
| Urgent PPE Supplies in Primary Care - 17 April 2020 | This letter from NHSE outlines the process for accessing urgent PPE for Primary Care Services in the circumstance where you are expecting to run out of supplies within 72 hours. |
| Update on access to PPE and local PPE escalation process - 01 April 2020 | An update from the Department of Health and Social Care on access to PPE. Includes guidance on when to contact the national supply disruption line and what information to have to hand when contacting them. Document includes a local Covid-19 PPE escalation process flowchart. |
| Updated Guidance - COVID-19 personal protective equipment | This revised guidance concerns use of PPE by health and social care workers, in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. It supersedes previous PPE guidance. |
| PHE You Tube Channel (weblink) | Videos on correct use of PPE. See also useful videos from a consultant at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust. |
| Practice Management | |
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Reimbursement of revenue costs incurred relating to Covid-19: Allowable costs (April 2020) Latest guidance states that NHSE/I will reimburse any additional revenue costs as part of the wider finance agreement on Covid-19. Current guidance defines valid additional revenue costs as being genuine, reasonable additional marginal costs. Such costs include:
This list of Covid-19-related expenses has been developed by the LMC as a guide for practices that we consider appropriate to seek reimbursement for from CCGs. |
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| Standard operating procedure (SOP) for general practice in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19) | This guidance applies to general practices operating under contract to the NHS in England, including those providers that operate outside core GP contract hours. Regularly updated. |
| Covid Support Fund for General Practice - 04 August 2020 | NHS letter giving details of what additional costs arising from the pandemic can be claimed for. |
| Advice for GP surgeries regarding the requirement for patients to wear facemasks when attending primary care - 05 August 2020 | Humberside LMC encourages practices to require patients to wear face coverings whenever they enter the practice premises. See our news item for further details. |
| COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings - weblink | Public Health England guidance which provides advice on the management of staff and patients or residents in health and social care settings according to exposures, symptoms and test results. Updated 31 May in light of new test and trace guidance. |
| Staff Absence Tracker (weblink) | NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided the Coronavirus Absence Tracker to assist in managing Covid 19 related staff absence. |
| Remote consultations and home working (weblink) | This guidance from the BMA supports doctors in any healthcare setting to conduct remote consultations during the pandemic. |
| Data Protection and Coronavirus (weblink) | Data protection and coronavirus information hub published by the Information Commissioner's Office. |
| RIDDOR reporting of Covid-19 (weblink) | Link to HSE information on when reporting under RIDDOR is required for Covid-19. |
| Schools | |
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| NHSE List of conditions which place people at higher risk - weblink | Clinically extremely vulnerable children are to remain shielded and not to return to school. This is the list of conditions. |
| Advice for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, parents, carers, families and others who support them - 30 May 2020 | Letter from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families with advice and links to guidance. |
| Staffing and Volunteering | |
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| NHS Volunteer Responders - online referral form | Online form to make a referral to the voluntary scheme to provide help to vulnerable people during the pandemic. |
| NHS Staff: Hotel Accommodation - 20 March 2020 | This document from NHSE/I sets out how NHS staff can access hotel accommodation, paid for by the NHS, if they are affected by the 14 day household isolation rules. |
| Test and Trace | |
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| NHS Covid-19 App - information for people working in healthcare | Information on the contact tracing app for healthcare workers, including how to pause the contact tracing function when they are in healthcare buildings including, hospitals and GP surgeries. |
| COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings | Government guidance on the management of staff, patients and residents who have been exposed to COVID-19. Updated to include guidance on when health and social care staff can be exempt from being considered a contact for the purposes of Test and Trace. |
| Testing for Key Workers and Household Members | |
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| See our COVID-19 - Key Healthcare Worker Testing guidance page for the latest position for general practice staff and access to testing in Hull, East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. | |
| Humber Antibody Testing Briefing Paper - 17 July 2020 | Prepared by Humber region Directors of Public Health, this paper considers the two types of tests available for COVID-19 and how these results should be interpreted |
| Testing for Covid-19 - Briefing and Testing Priorities - 15 June 2020 | Briefing published by Directors of Public Health Humber. This is local advice developed by the Humber Directors’ of Public Health based on the current evidence. |
| Antibody Testing - Q&A - May 2020 | Document circulated by NHSEI which answers questions on antibody testing. |
| Clinical Interpretation of Test Results for Key Workers and Household Members - 01 May 2020 | This guidance summarises the eligibility criteria for testing of key workers and recommendations to aid the interpretation of test results. |
| Vaccinations | |
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Visit our COVID-19 Vaccination Programme guidance page or the latest information for general practice about the programme. |
| Vulnerable/At Risk Patients and Shielding | |
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| Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 (weblink) | Guidance for the public from gov.uk. |
| Women and Children's Health | |
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| Tonsillar examination in children and infection risk | Infection control implications for asymptomatically infected children. Produced by RCPCH and the British Paediatric Allergy Immunity & Infection Group. |
| How to manage contraceptive provision without face to face consultations | A resource to manage contraception through telephone consultation during the pandemic including extensions to coil and implant use. Published by Primary Care Women's Health Forum. |
| Coronavirus and helping children with autism | Webinars to signpost parents / carers of autistic children who are struggling with the changes brought about by the pandemic. Hosted by the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. |
3. Advice and guidance:
| NHS England and NHS Improvement: Coronavirus - Primary Care | These pages have links to the up-to-date guidance healthcare professionals need to respond to coronavirus (COVID-19). |
| Gov.UK: Guidance for Health Professionals | Information on COVID-19, including guidance on the assessment and management of suspected UK cases. |
| Public Health England: Coronavirus Resources | Advice for the public on how to protect themselves and others, and how to stop the spread of the virus. |
| Advice for the Public | Advice for the public on what to do if they have symptoms, how to stop it spreading, travel advice, and information on how the government is responding. |
| Ask for a test to check if you have coronavirus | Online portal to ask for a test for people who have symptoms. Practice staff are recommended to use the CCG route for prioritsed testing - see our key worker testing page . |
| Your Covid Recovery | NHS website for patients to help them understand how COVID-19 may have affected them and what they might expect as part of their recovery. |
| BMA - Covid-19: Toolkit for GPs and GP Practices | Comprehensive guidance for GPs, partners and practice managers to manage employment and contractual issues and service provision during the Coronavirus pandemic. |
| Royal College of General Practitioners - Covid-19 Guidance | Resources from the RCGP include FAQS and a resource hub. |
| Doctors of the World - Coronavirus Information | Latest NHS guidelines translated into 60 languages, produced in partnership with the British Red Cross. |
| HERPC (Hull and East Riding Prescribing Committee) | Hull and East Riding Prescribing Committee addresses prescribing and medicines management issues across primary and secondary care. |
Updated on Sunday, 18 April 2021,
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