summarises the various methods that may be used to reduce infection of staff and patients while delivering elective clinical services
| Concept | Example |
|---|---|
| Hospital avoidance | Clinic consultations by telephone or video call Elective procedure consent by telephone or video call Strict rules on permission for friends or relatives to join patient for hospital appointments Hybrid care – specialist advice from hospital and hands on treatment in community Decentralised care – physiotherapy, rehabilitation, delivered in community settings |
| Patient separation | Unidirectional flow with separate entrances and exits into hospital and clinic sites Avoid mixing inpatients and outpatients Provide elective services at different sites or times to inpatient services Increased physical spacing in reception areas Patients to wait outside while awaiting being called in to be seen for appointment Drive-through services for pharmacy collections, pacemaker checks and other amenable services |
| Pre-admission screening for COVID-19 | Questionnaire Temperature check Testing for active infection Self-isolation Possible role for immunological testing |
| Infection control | Meticulous hand hygiene by staff and patients Frequent cleaning of clinical and non-clinical areas Appropriate PPE Sufficient access to PPE Special protection for high-risk workers, eg enhanced PPE, alteration of clinical duties Face masks for staff and patients Frequent testing of asymptomatic staff |
| Electronic conferencing, remote working and doctor education | Encourage remote telephone/video conferencing to reduce mixing of staff where possible, eg MDT, management meetings Promote off-site working for administration, SPA duties, remote clinics Enhance new ways of medical education including online tutorials, lectures, video tutorials, simulation, virtual reality |
| Alternative clinical pathways | Consider diagnostic and treatment approaches with similar efficacy but lower infection transmission |