Concern About New Recommendations to Relax COVID-19 Prevention Measures

[RogerPinner]

This was on the Medscape site earlier today. (I've not copied the whole article).

The Government is likely to follow recommendations from the new UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for more Covid protocol relaxation in hospitals which won't make any of us who attend hospital frequently feel any safer, But as the NHS is under such pressure, (staff numbers and money) which is bound to worsen during the next few months, maybe this was inevitable.

Roger

"An expert in microbiology has expressed concern about the new UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recommendations on COVID-19 infection prevention and control (IPC) around elective procedures.

The recommendations include three interventions which relate to social distancing and testing in NHS and Social Care elective care services, and a removal of enhanced cleaning practices.

The new recommendations advise that enhanced cleaning can be discontinued in low-risk areas. Providers have been told that they can now revert to standard cleaning procedures. The decision is based on advice by the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviour (SPI-B) that hand hygiene is likely to be more effective than enhanced cleaning of surfaces.

But Dr Simon Clarke, Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology, University of Reading, says the removal of enhanced cleaning “smacks of corner cutting.”

The SPI-B advice is based on “observations” that hand hygiene is likely to be more effective than surface cleaning in controlling the coronavirus, but that does not mean it is unimportant and can safely be cut, Dr Clarke has cautioned.

“Moreover,” he said, “SPI-B are a committee of behavioural scientists, not virologists or microbiologists and they are unlikely to be qualified to make such judgements. Indeed, SPI-B cite a NERVTAG paper which also called for further studies in this area, rather than leaning on any hard data.

He also warned that the elimination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing before procedures will leave vulnerable patients at risk of infection.

UKHSA has recommended that selected patients in low-risk groups who are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic will now only require a negative lateral flow test on the day of their procedure and will no longer need to have a negative PCR and isolate for three days.

Commenting on the new guidance, Dr Jenny Harries, UKHSA Chief Executive said: "We have reviewed the existing COVID-19 IPC evidence based guidance and made a series of initial pragmatic recommendations on how local providers can start to safely remove some of the interventions that have been in place in elective care specifically for COVID-19."

"This is a first step to help the NHS treat more patients more quickly, while ensuring their safety and balancing their different needs for care."

[Harvist]

This is a moment when this forum's "no political comment" policy becomes hard to sustain. Lives are threatened as a choice in this new announcement in preference to finding more money for the NHS. Political choices.

[mrsjsmith]

Roger I saw this report on the BBC on Monday night and then raised the following day in a cancer voice meeting with the Director of Comms in my local hospital. He said it is out for consultation and I believe it will then be down to each trust. Certainly in haematology my trust is being far thorough than a neighbouring one. But agreed it’s very worrying as I have never thought parts of hospitals were cleaned well.

Colette

[RogerPinner in reply to mrsjsmith]

Colette, knowing the pressures the Trusts are under, it will be difficult for them to resist a 'recommendation' that might save a little money or speed up processes. I don't envy the people who have to make the decisions. What worries me is the general direction of travel being sponsored by our Govt. and by suggesting rather than mandating, they can't be blamed when things go wrong.

I have noticed that there is already a more 'relaxed' attitude to hand cleaning , mask wearing and social distancing in some hospitals, not amongst the nursing staff but on entry, at reception etc.

Roger

[mrsjsmith in reply to RogerPinner]

Sadly yes.I spent a miserable evening in Kings A&E recently and apart from the patients handcuffed to police or the families that were sitting en masse eating burgers at least half there were not wearing masks. In the end before I started crying I found a nurse and said how vulnerable I was and got moved to a quiet space. I was astonished that nobody was asking people to wear a mask nor were there any visible at reception. 😢

Colette

[RogerPinner in reply to mrsjsmith]

Incredible. I'm sure you felt scared, I know I would have.Roger

[mrsjsmith in reply to RogerPinner]

Yes I did want to cry but thought I am a grown up ! But if I am ever in that situation again I will speak up sooner.

Colette

[bennevisplace in reply to mrsjsmith]

It is unbelievable.

[hopefulbunny]

I can't help thinking that with all these senseless relaxations, the objective is to push ahead with the herd immunity and get as many people to catch Covid as possible. Look out for yourselves folks.

[RogerPinner in reply to hopefulbunny]

I'm not sure it's as well thought through as that. I think that the Govt. and probably the majority of people (voters!) think that the present level of hospitalisations and deaths is acceptable and good value for the 'freedoms' many people are now enjoying.Roger

[hopefulbunny]

You are probably right, I think it was Stalin who said 1 death is a tragedy, a 1000 deaths is just a statistic. ☹️