Patients admitted to a hospice setting from an NHS hospital will be given a PCR test by the NHS hospital on discharge. If inpatients cannot be tested with a PCR test (for example, unplanned or urgent admissions, or if they have tested positive in the last 90 days) then an LFD test on admission is sufficient. Patients with a scheduled date of admission to a hospice as an inpatient from the community or a care setting will be eligible for a PCR test 72 hours before admission (if appropriate) and an LFD test on the day of admission. If either of the test results are positive, then they should follow the guidance for staff who test positive.įurther information on the symptoms of a respiratory infection and what to do if a staff member is concerned they may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 can be found in the COVID-19 supplement to the infection prevention and control resource for adult social care.įurther information on reading LFD results can be found in section 4 of this document. If the second test is also negative, they can return to work if well enough to do so. If this test result is negative, they should take another test 48 hours later, continuing to stay away from work during this 48-hour period. Hospice staff who have symptoms of a respiratory infection and who have a high temperature, or staff who have symptoms of a respiratory infection and do not feel well enough to work, should stay away from work and conduct an LFD test on the day they start to feel unwell (day 0). Hospice staff who are concerned they may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 are able to access LFD tests (free tests are provided for symptomatic testing and staff should ensure they have some at home for this purpose). 1.3.2 SymptomaticĪnyone who has symptoms of a respiratory infection and a high temperature, or symptoms of a respiratory infection and does not feel well enough to work, is advised to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. Staff returning from leave must ensure that they restart weekly testing. This includes all staff and individuals who have previously been included in the staff numbers, for example patient-facing volunteers who were included in staff testing numbers. 1 LFD test midweek, 3 to 4 days after their initial LFD test.
Polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) tests are over 99% effective and pick up positive results at early and late stages of infection. Summary: testing for hospices 1.1 Types of COVID-19 test Webinarsįor more information you can watch our recorded webinars. Hospices will be responsible for ordering test kits for both ‘inpatient’ and ‘community-based’ settings.
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Separate arrangements are in place for hospices in Scotland.Īll registered hospices have been contacted with details of how to apply for test kits for their staff and patients. UKHSA is continuing to make twice weekly COVID-19 testing available to all hospice staff in England and Wales during periods of high prevalence. From 4 April 2022, the government will continue to fund targeted testing, prioritising groups most at risk of infection, whilst reducing testing requirements where possible to ease the additional burden.