Practices urged to update business continuity plans

NHS England has advised practices to update business continuity plans to factor in local COVID-19 outbreaks.

Plans should be reviewed to ‘capture the risks of COVID-19 and plans to maintain services’, NHS England said in updates to Guidance and Standard Operating Procedures for general practice during COVID-19.

This should cover the potential for local outbreaks to temporarily disrupt delivery of services from practice premises – for example, to allow effective cleaning or as a result of staff being off sick or isolating following NHS Trace and Test contact.

‘Plans should consider high levels of staff sickness and self-isolation, call handling, staff and patient communication and, ultimately, denial of access to premises for staff and patients,’ the guidance states.

And it adds that practices should incorporate measures to maintain patient services through remote working and support from local PCNs, including the use of buddying systems.

The guidance on ‘Outbreak management in general practice’ is available from NHS England here.