Many changes have been made to the services we run to respond to the infection prevention and control requirements in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic is not over yet, but in line with the UK Government easing of national restrictions and as part of the ‘living with Covid-19’ plan our services have been re-started in a way that is safe for both patients and healthcare professionals providing NHS care.
Guidance for patients and visitors after June 2022
The blanket rules for social distancing and mask wearing have now ended (although patients, visitors and staff are free to continue to wear masks if they prefer).
There may be times, however when additional infection prevention and control measures may be necessary, for example as Covid-19 rates fluctuate or when there are other respiratory infections such as influenza circulating. This means that interventions such as routine mask wearing by staff or social distancing is temporarily re-introduced. CLCH staff will be able to answer any questions you may have about this.
Depending on the situation or type of healthcare setting, there may also be occasions where staff ask you to wear a face mask or a face covering. In some settings, e.g. dental clinics, walk-in-centres, urgent care or where patients are being assessed for respiratory infections staff will continue to wear masks routinely for the time being. In all other settings, e.g. out patients, inpatient areas etc, staff will not routinely wear masks Patients previously identified to be clinically extremely vulnerable will continue to be cared for by staff wearing masks regardless of setting.
What are we asking patients to do?
The safety and wellbeing of our patients and our staff remains our priority. We have provided some information on the following pages to ensure you know what to do before your appointment, as well as what you can expect during your appointment, and after your appointment.
You may also find it helpful to refer to the information and advice provided specifically for carers, relatives, and visitors.
