Coronavirus
Gold Achievers Care Health Guidance concerning Coronavirus (Covid-19)
The health and safety of our patients and staff are of the utmost importance to Gold Achievers Care, and we appreciate the growing concerns over Covid-19. We are constantly monitoring the advice regarding the spread of Covid-19 both in the UK and abroad, through regular updates from Public Health England (PHE), our commissioners and the Department of Health. At present, the company’s advice is to follow the national guidance which is to call 111 or use the 111 online services.
Guidance on managing coronavirus issues at work
The risks from Covid-19 are still very much present in the workplace and it is important to remember that employers have a duty of care towards their employees to protect the health and safety of their workforce. This information is being continually checked and updated.
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). This particular episode has been named “Covid-19” and appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.
The symptoms
The symptoms include a fever, cough, shortness of breath and loss or change of sense of smell or taste. Some people may suffer from a mild illness and recover easily, while in other cases, infection can progress to pneumonia. Reports suggest that the elderly, those with weakened immune systems, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease are the most susceptible to serious illness and death. Symptoms can appear in as few as two days after infection or as long as 14 days.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The virus
The virus is said to most likely spread from person to person through:
- direct contact with a person while they are infectious
- contact with droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes
- touching objects or surface that were contaminated by droplets from secretions coughed or sneezed from an infected person with a confirmed infection.
While our risk is low there are key pieces of advice, we believe will reduce the risk of exposure to the virus:
- Handwashing with soap and water as recommended by PHE and in line with the infection control policy and handwashing poster that is available in every care package folder
- Cleaning hard surfaces regularly
- Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing it in a bin
- Avoid touching your mouth or face with unwashed hands
- Wearing appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons
If you are worried about your symptoms, have had contact with someone who has tested positive, have travelled to a high risk country, or have any concerns at all, please contact 111 who will advise you on the next steps.
You may then be given a reference number so that if necessary, this can be given to your package/line manager/on call manager
The following link is for anyone to look at the latest information:
Go to NHS.UK/coronavirus for information about the virus and how to protect yourself.
Employer considerations
Employers have a duty of care towards their employees which includes not exposing them to unnecessary risk. In this case, that may include not putting them in a position in which they could become infected by the virus without taking all reasonable precautions.
Your duty of care, where coronavirus is concerned, may differ depending on an employee’s specific circumstances, for example, if they are in the risk category, for example over 70 or if they have underlying conditions.
In addition to having a duty of care to protect health and safety, you also need to consider their wellbeing. Consider any wellbeing initiatives you have and remind employees of them, for example, an Employee Assistance Programme.
Give employees the facts
The risk of becoming infected will differ depending on personal circumstances but it is important to convey to employees the reality of the situation to keep concern proportionate to the risk and encourage good hygiene.
For those who need to travel, please stay current with COVID-19 developments and travel advice found at the Gov.uk website. Exercise caution while traveling, practice the above prevention points.
Useful links for further up to date information
For the most up-to-date information you can visit
The Department of Health and Social Care or see the below links for various official sources.
Your normal sickness absence and pay policy will apply to employees who have coronavirus; however, you may wish to offer them furlough, if possible. Under the extended Job Retention Scheme rules, employers can decide whether to continue with sick leave, or furlough employees. This means that sick leave and furlough are interchangeable but cannot be taken at the same time — it has to be one or the other. If the employer decides on sick leave and Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), they cannot claim wages via the Scheme, but they may be able to recover the SSP.
If an employee has returned from an affected area, then develops symptoms and stays at home
This is best treated as sickness absence due to the display of symptoms and your normal policies will apply. You may wish to consider other options such as working from home as a temporary measure while the employee self-isolates or furlough if appropriate.
Employers who have concerns about an employee’s exposure
Where you have concerns about a non-symptomatic employee (for example, an employee who has recently returned from an affected area but has displayed no symptoms, or if it is known or suspected that the employee has had contact with someone known to have the virus but does not live with them) then the best advice is to follow the Government and NHS advice and advise the employee to self-isolate as needed.
Current guidance outlines that pregnant employees should be considered as clinically vulnerable. Employers already have a legal duty to assess the risks that the workplace could pose to pregnant employees and must take steps to mitigate these. The threat of the coronavirus must therefore also be taken into account when decisions are made regarding whether pregnant employees can continue to conduct their role safely.
If an employee is worried about catching the virus and refuses to attend work, Acas suggest listening to the employee’s concerns and offering reassurance. Your response to this will depend on the actual risk of catching the virus at work. It will be different for every employer and will depend on specific circumstances including whether anyone in the workforce has already been diagnosed or there is another real risk of exposure. You may decide to offer a period of paid annual leave or unpaid leave or allow the employee to work from home where this is feasible. Your response should be reasonable to the specific situation.
During the current lockdown, Government advice in Scotland and Wales is that employees must work from home where they can. In England, the Government stance is that employees should work from home unless it is not reasonable to do their job from home.
Although nations are setting out roadmaps out of lockdown, announcing dates on which businesses may be permitted to re-open, employees are still being advised to work from home until further reviews have been undertaken.
