Infection Prevention and Control in Primary Care
Publication date: July 2021
NHS England have confirmed that the existing Covid-19 IPC guidance continues to apply in healthcare settings. The IPC guidance confirms that: “Patients in all care areas should still be encouraged and supported to wear a face mask, providing it is tolerated and is not detrimental to their medical or care needs”. NHS England state in a letter to primary care practitioners that 'contractors continue to have our support in enforcing the IPC guidance'.
The letter also confirms that practices 'should continue to offer a blended approach of face-to-face and remote appointments, with digital triage where possible'. The Standard Operating Procedure for general practice in the context of Covid-19 (Version 4.3) has been withdrawn as of 19 July as much of it has become standard practice or is now redundant.
You can read our earlier statement on the continued use of face masks, social distancing, and hand sanitising, accompanied by a downloadable poster here. The BMA has also published a poster which can be found here.