Covid 19 Self Isolation Policy & Procedure

This policy sets out the procedure for staff who have been told to stay at home (self-isolate) by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app.

It is essential that Gold Leaf home Care take steps to keep our workers, visitors and service users safe. By following the Covid 19 Government guidelines we can reduce the risk of workers having to self-isolate if a co-worker tests positive for COVID-19 or is identified as having had close contact with someone who has tested positive.

Gold Leaf expects any member of staff to notify the office immediately if they are contacted to self-isolate or have received a positive covid test. We expect the member of staff to fully disclose any other persons connected to Gold Leaf that they have had contact with, and Gold Leaf will notify those persons as necessary.

Working from home, where possible, is essential to limiting mixing between households. Gold Leaf Office staff will work from home, unless it is not reasonable to do so.

Gold Leaf will:

support staff to work from home where possible
make workplaces as safe as possible (if working from home is not possible)
not knowingly allow workers who are required to self-isolate to attend the workplace
encouraging employees to download and use the NHS COVID-19 app

Gold Leaf will continue to ensure the health, safety and welfare of our employees and other people in the workplace. This includes, but is not limited to: workers, agency workers, contractors, volunteers, customers, suppliers, service users and other visitors.

Ensuring your workers self-isolate where necessary

It is an offence for Gold Leaf to allow a worker to attend the workplace if we are aware that the worker:

has tested positive for COVID-19
has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, and they have received a notification to self-isolate from NHS Test and Trace

This NHS guidance sets out how long an individual must self-isolate for.

If we know that a worker has been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, it is our legal duty to not allow them to come into work or work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating (usually, their home) for their full self-isolation period.

If a worker has received a notification to self-isolate via the NHS COVID-19 app, they should not attend the workplace as the individual may be infectious and could spread the virus.

A contact can be anyone who:

lives in the same household as someone with COVID-19 symptoms or who has tested positive for COVID-19
has had any of the following types of contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19:
- face-to-face contact including being coughed on or having a face-to-face conversation within 1 metre
- been within 1 metre for 1 minute or longer without face-to-face contact
- sexual contacts
- been within 2 metres of someone for more than 15 minutes (either as a one-off contact, or added up together over 1 day)
- travelled in the same vehicle or a plane

NHS Test and Trace will not usually consider someone to be a contact if their interaction with a positive case took place through a Perspex (or equivalent) screen as long as there has been no other contact such as those in the list above.

The wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) will not be considered as a mitigation when assessing whether a recent contact is likely to have transmitted the virus. Only full medical-grade PPE worn in health and care settings will be considered.

If any workers test positive

Gold Leaf will call the Self-Isolation Service Hub on 020 3743 6715 as soon as they are made aware that any of their workers have tested positive.

Employers will need to provide the 8-digit NHS Test and Trace Account ID (sometimes referred to as a CTAS number) of the person who tested positive, alongside the names of co-workers identified as close contacts. This will ensure that all workplace contacts are registered with NHS Test and Trace and can receive the necessary public health advice, including the support available to help people to self-isolate.

The member of staff that has tested positive will need to isolate following the current government guidelines. Before returning to work we require a negative covid 19 test and a back to work interview.

If workers cannot work from home

If a worker cannot work from home, we will:

consider giving them the option to use their paid leave days
pay contractual sick pay, where appropriate
ensure they receive Statutory Sick Pay as a minimum, provided they meet the eligibility criteria
make workers aware of the support available to help them to self-isolate

Employees in self-isolation are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay for every day of work missed for their self-isolation period, provided they meet all the eligibility criteria.

Self-isolate immediately

If you’re told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app:

self-isolate immediately
do not leave your home for any reason – if you need food or medicine, order it online or by phone, or ask friends and family to drop it off at your home
do not have visitors in your home, including friends and family – except for essential care
try to avoid contact with anyone you live with as much as possible
any people you live with and any people in your support bubble do not need to self-isolate if you do not have symptoms

If you live with someone at higher risk from COVID-19, try to arrange for them to stay with friends or family while you’re self-isolating.

If you have to stay in the same home together, read about how to avoid spreading COVID-19 to people you live with.

How you’ll be contacted

If you’ve been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 and need to self-isolate, you may get:

an email, text or phone call from NHS Test and Trace – text messages will come from NHStracing and calls will come from 0300 0135 000
an alert from the NHS COVID-19 app

Children under 18 will be contacted by phone wherever possible and asked for their parent or guardian’s permission to continue the call.You’ll be asked to sign in to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing website at https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk.

If you cannot use the contact tracing website, they will call you.

THIS POLICY IS CONSTANTLY REVIEWED IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT ADVICE AND MAY CHANGE AT ANY TIME. YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED IF AND WHEN POLICY CHANGE.