Step-down of physical distancing measures announced for healthcare settings in England

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published updated infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance, and a National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) for England.

The IPC guidance applies across the UK to help prevent transmission of seasonal respiratory viral infections (such as SARS-CoV-2 responsible for COVID-19) in health and care settings, and remains largely unchanged with respect to the recommendations for primary care:

The NIPCM for England outlines the standard infection control precautions (SICPs) required to ensure a safe care environment at all times, and transmission based precautions (TBPs) when providing care for those with suspected or confirmed infections. This is consistent with and should be read alongside our Guidance for Professional Practice infection control recommendations and supplementary guidance for managing patients with symptoms of respiratory infection.

However, in a letter published on 14 April, NHS England has recommended that all healthcare settings can now safely return to pre-pandemic physical distancing. This means optical practices in England are no longer required to maintain a minimum of 1m distance, but should comply with all relevant Health Technical Memoranda and Health Building Notes to ensure safe levels of occupancy within the practice. We have updated our COVID-19 Amber phase guidance to reflect the changes to physical distancing recommendations across the UK.