COVID-19: 6th October round-up for primary care
There have been questions around how healthcare workers use the NHS COVID-19 Test and Trace App while at work. NHS Test and Trace App guidance has been circulated to you which should help alleviate any concerns or questions your staff may have. In summary, the guidance says:
- healthcare workers are encouraged to download the NHS COVID-19 app to help the fight against coronavirus
- healthcare workers should use the ‘pause’ contact-tracing function on the app when they are in healthcare buildings including hospitals and GP surgeries
- healthcare workers are still able to use some of the app’s functionality while the app contact-tracing feature is paused, should they wish i.e. checking into canteens.
Please distribute the full guidance to your staff. Further questions on how healthcare workers can use the NHS COVID-19 app are answered on the NHS Test and Trace website.
COVID-19: 8th October round-up for primary care
Emerging evidence suggests that an estimated 10% of people who contract COVID-19 cannot shake off the effects of the virus months after initially falling ill – a phenomenon described by some as ‘Long Covid’. Many of you will have already seen patients displaying some of the symptoms: breathlessness, chronic fatigue, brain fog, anxiety and stress linked to Long Covid. Therefore, yesterday we announced a raft of measures being put in place to help affected patients. These will include development of new guidance to support clinicians, including GPs and allied health professionals, as well as investing £10million to help develop multidisciplinary diagnostic services. More services will also be added to Your Covid Recovery from the end of this month. A ‘Long Covid Taskforce’ will be established to oversee these and further developments and we will keep you updated of progress.
New government PPE strategy published
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published its strategy for providing personal protective equipment (PPE), detailing preparations for a second wave of COVID-19 alongside usual seasonal pressures. DHSC have stated that four-month stockpiles of each PPE category will be in place from November, to provide a continuous flow to health and social care workers treating COVID-19 patients. It will continue to buy centrally through to the end of March with further detail about post-March arrangements expected in due course.
Update on bipolar drug Priadel
The Competition and Markets Authority has announced an investigation into whether Essential Pharma ‘abused a dominant market position’ in relation to its supply of lithium-based treatments for bipolar disorder. Following the opening of the investigation Essential Pharma have said they will continue to supply the drug Priadel, removing the previous immediate threat to patients. The investigation comes after public criticism of the company by NHS England Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens. Further guidance on Priadel following the previous CAS alert is expected from DHSC shortly.
