Coronavirus documents
If you would like to search for documents related to Covid-19, please use the site search. The following list is a set of Covid-19 documents which have been converted to accessible HTML format.
COVID-19 vaccination programme
Guidance
- Community Pharmacy National Enhanced Service COVID-19 vaccination programme: September 2022 to August 2023
- Enhanced Service (ES) Specification COVID-19 vaccination programme: 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023
- Treatments for non-hospitalised patients at highest risk from COVID-19 infection aged 12 years and over: Update to supporting information for NHS111/IUC CAS service providers
- Funding of discharge services from acute care in 2022/23
- Next steps on transitioning from COVID-19 response to recovery
- Cohorts eligible for community COVID-19 treatments who require contact by consultants
- COVID-19 standard operating procedure: symptomatic and asymptomatic staff testing
- COVID-19 standard operating procedure: testing for elective care pre-admission patient
- COVID-19 standard operating procedure: testing for inpatients
- Asymptomatic staff testing for COVID-19 at vaccination sites
- Standard operating procedure: Management of COVID-19 vaccination clinical incidents and enquiries
- Vaccinating frontline social care workers
- Making the universal offer of vaccination to JCVI cohorts 1-4 ahead of February 15, and additional funding for vaccination of housebound patients
- COVID-19 Vaccination in Older Adult Care Homes – thank you and next steps by 31 January
- Use of Moderna (SpikeVax®) COVID-19 vaccine in PCN-led vaccination sites
- Further funding and support for PCN and Community Pharmacy-led COVID-19 vaccination sites
- COVID-19 vaccination second doses: Further details on the support available for PCN-led sites
- Further opportunity for community pharmacy to contribute to the COVID-19 vaccination programme – extended in specific areas
- Deployment of COVID-19 Vaccine Oxford/AstraZeneca: implications for governance, handling and preparation of vaccines
- Community pharmacy local enhanced service – COVID-19 vaccination programme: phase 3 2021/22
- JCVI Cohort 6 – adult household contacts of adults with severe immunosuppression – Operational Guide
- Vaccination of adult household contacts of severely immunosuppressed individuals alongside JCVI priority Cohort 6 and completion of Cohorts 1-9
- Role of PCN LVS sites in Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme
- Vaccination plans for PCN COVID vaccination sites for weeks of 8 March to 29 March 2021
- Vaccination plans for community pharmacy COVID vaccination sites for weeks of 8 March to 29 March 2021
- Improving social care staff vaccination rates in care homes for older people
- Further opportunities for PCN and Community Pharmacy vaccination sites to partner with community venues to deliver temporary vaccination clinics
- Supporting CCGs to address vaccine inequalities – next steps
- COVID-19 Vaccine Oxford AstraZeneca – movement of vaccine
- COVID-19 Vaccination in Older Adult Care Homes – the next stage
- Guidance for COVID-19 vaccination in care homes that have cases and outbreaks
- COVID-19 vaccination – action for CCGs on support to help GPs rebook vaccine appointments
- Staffing support to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine to care home residents and staff
- Wave 1 mobilisation of the Primary Care COVID-19 Vaccination Programme 2020/21
- Governance, handling, and preparation of vaccines by GP-led Local Vaccination Centres (PCN designated sites)
- COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21 – next steps
- Standard operating procedure: Phases 1, 2 and 3 including vaccination of eligible children and young people
- COVID-19 standard operating procedure – COVID-19 vaccine deployment programme: unpaid carers (JCVI priority cohort 6)
- COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21 – Outcome of general practice site designation process and next steps
- PCN sites beginning COVID-19 vaccination next week – information to support you to stand up your vaccination service
- Standard operating procedure: COVID-19 vaccine deployment programme hospital hub: care home staff
- COVID-19 vaccination – for immediate action
- Standard operating procedure: Ordering inventory for COVID-19 vaccinations in NHS hospital hubs
- Week One: Implementing the Covid Vaccination Programme
- COVID-19 vaccination deployment strategy and operational readiness
- COVID-19 vaccination: Governance, handling and preparation of vaccines in Hospital Hubs and Vaccination Centres
- Enhanced Service Specification: COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21
Legal mechanisms
- Legal mechanisms for administration of the COVID-19 vaccine(s)
- Legal mechanisms for administering the COVID vaccine(s) – summary
- Accountability and delegation under the national protocols for COVID-19 vaccines: visual diagram
Primary and secondary care
Managing coronavirus
General practice
- Next steps for general practice following the accelerated COVID-19 vaccination booster campaign
- Supporting General Practice: Additional £120 million funding for April to September 2021
- Updates and guidance for general practice
- Temporary GP contract changes to support COVID-19 vaccination programme
- Our plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice
- Arrangements for primary care from 19 July 2021
- Updated standard operating procedure (SOP) to support restoration of general practice services
- Freeing up practices to support COVID vaccination – further details
- Freeing up practices to support COVID vaccination
- Urgent preparing for general practice to contribute to a potential COVID-19 vaccination programme
- Urgent preparing for general practice to contribute to a potential COVID-19 vaccination programme: Annex A: Indicative Enhanced Service Specification: COVID-19 Vaccination Programme 2020/21 Reference Guide
- Urgent preparing for general practice to contribute to a potential COVID-19 vaccination programme: Annex B: General practice site designation process
- Supporting general practice – additional £150 million of funding from NHS England
- Changes to the GP contracts from 1 October 2020
- Access to GP practices
- General practice communications toolkit
- Changes to the General Medical Services contract for 2020/21
- 2020/21 General Medical Services (GMS) contract Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF): Guidance for GMS contract 2020/21 in England
- COVID-19 support fund for general practice
- Accelerating the recruitment of social prescribing link workers
- Second phase of General Practice response to COVID-19
- COVID-19: Diabetes online self-management courses
- Electronic repeat dispensing
- Principles for supporting high quality consultations by video in general practice during COVID-19
- COVID-19 response Identifying a clinical lead for all care homes
- Information for GPs advising both shielding and non-shielding patients on support available during the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19: Increased Patient Information for health and care professionals (stakeholder letter)
- COVID-19: Increased Patient Information for health and care professionals (system letter)
- COVID-19: Increased patient information for health and care professionals (with statement from BMA GPC and the RCGP)
- Advice on how to establish a remote ‘total triage’ model in general practice using online consultations
- Preparedness letter for general practice
- Remote Working in Primary Care: Guidance for GP Practices during COVID-19 Emergency Response
- NHS Volunteer Responders information for health professionals
- Coronavirus Act – excess death provisions: information and guidance for medical practitioners
- Diabetes Programme Delivery – letter to regions
- COVID-19 and professional standards activities (including appraisal and revalidation)
- Adaptations to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme
- Supporting doctors in the event of a COVID-19 epidemic in the UK
- Briefing: Primary care providers and the coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Standard operating procedures
- GP returners
Dental practice
- Letters, updates and additional guidance for dental teams
- Key steps in 2022 to deliver for patients in NHS dentistry
- Next steps to support the recovery of NHS dentistry
- Letter on arrangements for primary care from 19 July 2021
- NHS dental contract reform and arrangements letter
- Issue 7: Preparedness letter for primary dental care
- Issue 6: Preparedness letter for primary dental care
- Issue 5: Preparedness letter for primary dental care
- Resumption of dental services in England
- Redeploying the clinical dental workforce to support the NHS clinical delivery plan for COVID-19
Community pharmacy
- Updates and guidance
- Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak (September 2021)
- Letter on arrangements for primary care from 19 July 2021
- Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak: service specifications and guidance (March 2021)
- Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak (March 2021)
- Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak: service specifications and guidance (February 2021)
- Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak (January 2021)
- Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak: service specifications and guidance (November 2020)
- Electronic repeat dispensing
- Community pharmacy letter to support health and justice services
Optical settings
- Updates and guidance for optical settings
- Deploying the clinical and non-clinical optical workforce to support the NHS clinical delivery plan for COVID-19
Health and justice
- COVID-19 guide – psychological first aid for children and young people
- Guidance for healthcare teams on the release of adult patients from the secure and detained estate during coronavirus (COVID-19)
- COVID-19 guide – Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)
- Remote prescribing guidance for health and justice sites
- Accessing medicines for detainees released during COVID-19
Infection prevention and control (IPC)
- Living with COVID-19 white paper – update
- Updated UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance – isolation
- Updated UK Health Security Agency guidance – confirmatory PCR tests to be temporarily suspended for positive lateral flow test results
- Updated UK Health Security Agency and Government guidance on self-isolation
- Updated UK Health Security Agency guidance on NHS staff, student and volunteer self-isolation and return to work following COVID-19 contact
- Revised UK infection prevention and control guidance
- UKHSA changes to IPC requirements
- Approval by Health and Safety Executive for use of coveralls as an alternative for non-surgical gowns
- Centralising procurement of PPE and other supplies
- Helping prevent facial skin damage beneath personal protective equipment
- Supporting fit testing: steps and actions to be taken where staff may require the use of FFP3 masks
- Healthcare associated COVID-19 infections – further action
- Uniforms and workwear: guidance for NHS employers
- COVID-19: Summary of infection prevention and control guidance and information for healthcare settings
- Training resources: COVID-19 infection prevention and control recommendations for healthcare settings 2020
Testing
- Rollout of lateral flow devices for asymptomatic staff testing for COVID-19 in the independent sector
- Asymptomatic staff testing for COVID-19
- Standard operating procedure: use of lateral flow devices for asymptomatic staff testing for SARS CoV-2 in all NHS Staff
- Lateral flow antigen tests for asymptomatic staff testing: frequently asked questions – NHS trusts (organisations and staff) including community interest companies
- Lateral flow antigen tests for asymptomatic staff testing: frequently asked questions for – primary care (organisations and staff)
- NHS England and NHS Improvement rollout of lateral flow devices for asymptomatic staff testing for SARS CoV-2 (phase 2: trusts)
- Lateral flow antigen test FAQs
- Standard operating procedure: lateral flow device testing for emergency department patient pathways
- Asymptomatic staff testing for COVID-19 for primary care staff
- Lateral flow antigen test FAQs: roll out in primary care
- Rollout of lateral flow testing devices for COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic patient-facing staff delivering NHS services in primary care
- Standard operating procedure for rollout of lateral flow devices for asymptomatic staff testing for COVID-19 in primary care
- Public Health England provision of SARS- CoV-2 genotyping and sequencing services for the NHS: frequently asked questions
Assessment/diagnosis
- Testing of NHS staff and household members
- Pooling of asymptomatic SARS COV-2 COVID-19 samples for (PCR/or other) testing
- Pillar 1 NHS labs Covid-19 testing turnaround time data _150720
- Pillar 1 NHS labs Covid-19 testing turnaround time data – 180720
- Pillar 1 NHS labs Covid-19 testing turnaround time data
Management – suspected coronavirus (COVID-19)
Discharge
- Discharge centres: Care units in care homes short term, rehabilitation and reablement care
- Service specification: Care units in care homes
- Patient discharge services framework for reablement/rehabilitation services to immediately increase capacity in local providers: Questions and answers
- Hotel space: how to guide
- Hotel space guidance
- Hospital discharge and community support: Finance support and funding flows
- COVID-19 hospital discharge and support care funding (2020/21)
- Funding arrangements for bed and community care capacity in the hospice sector
- Improving discharge patient flow from acute settings
- COVID-19 hospital discharge and recovery services
- Supporting hospital discharge: Establishment of COVID virtual wards
- Standard operating procedure: COVID virtual ward
- COVID-19 hospital discharge service requirements
- COVID-19 EPPR Community Daily Discharge SitRep: Technical specification
Estates and facilities
- Oxygen supply
- Fire Risk Assessment: Guidance on completing specific FRA for temporary wards provided for Covid-19 treatment or care
- Design note: COVID-19 ward for intubated patients
- Scrubs, gowns, alginate bags and linen cages: Letter from Simon Corben
Other resources
- New national NHS England and NHS Improvement/Independent sector contract for Q4 2021/22
- Information about the end of the shielding programme and managing the closure of the Shielded Patient List
- COVID-19 Ambulance Case Transport Response Service Framework
- Information on the Government’s additional COVID-19 advice for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk
- Staff isolation: approach following updated government guidance
- Winter preparedness in the NHS
- Agreed principles and guidance around training in the independent sector for organisations working under the COVID-19 national contract
- National diagnostic programme to support elective care restoration
- COVID–19 Patient Notification System (CPNS)
- Placental Growth Factor (PlGF)-based testing: helping to keep women out of hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Guidance to the NHS Genomic Medicine Service in response to COVID-19
- Important and urgent – next steps on NHS response to COVID-19
- Stepping back up of key reporting and management functions
- Supporting doctors in the event of a COVID-19 epidemic in the UK
- Supporting Nurses and Midwives across the UK and Nursing Associates (England only) in the event of a COVID-19 epidemic in the UK
- Coronavirus: home and community diagnostic sampling
- Supporting the healthcare science workforce
- Supporting allied health professionals and allied health professional support workers during the COVID-19 epidemic in the UK
- Secondary care: document of preparedness
- Clinical validation of surgical waiting lists: framework and support tools
- Allied health professionals’ role in rehabilitation during and after COVID-19
- Advice for health and justice healthcare teams on medicines and pharmacy services continuity
- COVID-19 EPPR Community Daily Discharge SitRep: Technical specification
- Death certification processes: information for medical practitioners after the Coronavirus Act 2020 expires
Community based health, social care, mental health trusts and ambulance services
- Implementing phase 3 of the NHS response to the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 Restoration of Community Health Services – key changes from prioritisation guidance published on 1/4/2020
- Restoration of Community Health Services – Guidance CYP with note 31 July
- Standard operating procedure for care providers of children and young people with palliative and/or end of life care needs in the community
Community health services
- Community health services prioritisation framework
- Covid-19 restoration of community health services change log
- Self-monitoring COVID-19 diary V2 Print Version – January 2022
- Pulse oximetry and remote monitoring 11 June 2020
- COVID-19 response primary care and community health support care home residents
- Frequently asked questions: Rollout of lateral flow devices for asymptomatic staff testing for COVID-19 in the independent sector
- Good HOOF guide for primary care and out of hours teams – November 2020
- My COVID-19 Advance Care Plan (acp) template – 11 May 2020
- New requirement to test patients being discharged from hospital to a care home
Mental health, learning disabilities and autism
- Timely Access to PCR testing for all NHS Mental Health Learning Disability and Autistic (MHLDA)
- Legal guidance for services supporting people of all ages during the coronavirus
- Patient carer and family engagement and communication during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- Supporting patients of all ages who are unwell with coronavirus (COVID-19) in mental health learning disability autism
- NHS Covid-19 Grab and Go LDA Guidance notes QA SA
- Vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) Support for patients family members
- Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) and people with a learning disability and or autism
- Court’s ruling on remote MHA assessments
- COVID-19: Visiting people in a mental health, learning disability and autism inpatient setting
- COVID-19 Immediate establishment of 24 7 urgent NHS mental health telephone support, advice and triage
- Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation DNACPR letter 3 April 2020
- Managing demand and capacity across MH and LD – Nov 2020
- Getting NHS help when you need it during the coronavirus outbreak
Cancer
- Urgent cancer diagnostic services during COVID-19
- COVID-19 Cancer services recovery plan 14 December 2020
- Advice on maintaining cancer recovery
- Phase 2 letter for cancer restoration
- Advice to local systems on maintenance of cancer treatment during COVID-19 response
- Cancer alliance information on managing cancer referrals 19 March 2020
Prevention
- PPE gowns letter Final QA SA
- Update on guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable individuals and actions for acute trusts
- Letter to NHS 7 July shielding guidance changes
- Shielding update letter to NHS
Infection Prevention Control (IPC)
- UK IPC guidance letter
- Supporting excellence in infection prevention and control behaviours implementation toolkit
- Nosocomial infections System letter
- Letter to procurement leads – centralising procurement of PPE other supplies – 1 May 2020
- Preventing skin damage under PPE – V6 29 Oct 20
- SARC requests for forensic medical examinations during COVID-19 pandemic
- SARC COVID-19 screening tool
Finance
- Funding arrangements for bed and community care capacity in the hospice sector – January 2022
- Ph2 update COVID-19 revenue and capital reporting arrangements
- COVID-19 NHS contracting and payment guidance appendix template statement for block-payments
- CCG cash management block payment guidance, April – July 2020
- Regional team and specialised commissioning block payment guidance, April – July 2020
- COVID-19 block contract methodology
- Changes to COVID-19 finance reporting and approval processes as we move into the second phase of the NHS response
- Block payment guidance documents: April – July 2020
- NHS Cash and Capital Regimes for 2020/21 financial year
Symptoms of COVID-19 and medical advice
- SARC requests for forensic medical examinations during COVID-19 pandemic
- SARC COVID-19 Screening and Triaging Too
Workforce
- Key actions – winter 2021 preparedness: nursing and midwifery safer staffing
- Allied Health Professional student bank employment
- Access to National Workforce Supply Routes for Community Pharmacy
- Access to national workforce supply routes for PCN groupings
- NMC Emergency Standards
- Deploying medical students
- Expanding the temporary register to additional overseas-trained nurses
- Advice on acute sector workforce models during COVID-19
- Diverse representation in decision making and workforce equality
- Redeploying your secondary care medical workforce safely
- COVID-19 testing to support retention of NHS staff
- Joint statement on developing immediate critical care nursing capacity
- Deploying the healthcare science workforce to support the NHS clinical delivery plan for COVID-19
- COVID-19: Deploying our people safely
- Deploying the clinical and non-clinical optical workforce to support the NHS clinical delivery plan for COVID-19
- Individual clinician pathway
- Education and training for NHS staff in community health services, supporting the response to COVID-19
- Redeploying our people – clinical dental workforce
- Guidance on handling donations and loans of medical equipment to hospitals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Clinical policy
Other resources
- NHS response to COVID-19: Transition to NHS level 3 incident
- Patient car parking, 23 March 2021
- Information on supporting clinically extremely vulnerable staff
- Women’s safety and domestic abuse during COVID-19 a reminder of advice for NHS staff
- Reducing burden and releasing capacity to manage the C-19 pandemic
- Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) standard operating procedure: resource shortage, escalation and National Loan Programme for COVID-19 in England
- Important: for action – operational priorities winter and 2021-22, 23 Dec 2020
- Professor Keith Willett – Level 4 letter, 4 November 2020
- Third phase of NHS response to COVID-19
- Nursing and midwifery workforce response to COVID-19 – Third Phase Letter
- Elective letter – 20 August 2020
- Minimising nosocomial infections in the NHS: Letter from Amanda Pritchard, Ruth May and Professor Stephen Powis
- Antibody testing programme letter: 25 May 2020
- Joint statement on personalised approaches to care and treatment
- AHP Four Nations Statement on Rehabilitation
- Domestic abuse during COVID-19: a reminder of advice for NHS staff
- Second Phase Of NHS Response to COVID-19
- Reducing burden and releasing capacity at NHS providers and commissioners to manage the COVID-19 pandemic
- Update on partnership working with the Independent Sector Providers and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN)
- COVID-19 Act: excess death provisions info and guidance: 31 March 20
- Maintaining standards and quality of care in pressurised circumstances
- Expansion of patient testing for Covid-19
- Asymptomatic NHS staff testing
- Safeguarding infants during the coronavirus pandemic: the ICON programme