| covid-19_guidance_for_emergency_responders.docx |
Deployment
When deploying volunteers to any incident the CRCC/Duty manager will:
2.Step back from the door (if possible, maintain 2 metre distance)
3.Enquire about isolation status on first contact
4.If self-isolating, follow instructions for delivery
Delivery of items to homesIf required to deliver items to homes (e.g. food parcels, medications, torches, hot water, including social services referrals), ER responders should:
1.Agree / identify time to drop off parcel
2.On arrival, deposit items at the door of the property
3.Make presence known (ring doorbell, knock on door etc.)
4.Step back from the door (if possible, maintain 2 metre distance)
5.Acknowledge service user receiving parcel/item
Reception CentresWhen responding to a reception centre liaise with local authority/responding partner about their plans. The advice is to establish:
When supporting at the reception centre, follow this guidance
Delivery of items to isolation centres
Q&AWhat about face masks?
Appropriate personal protective equipment is available to provide protection based on the specific role and potential risks in-line with Public Health Bodies infection prevention control guidance. Face masks play a very important role in clinical settings, such as hospitals but there is very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of these clinical settings.
Is it safe to approach homes and touch doorbells etc?
Some volunteers have expressed concern around ringing doorbells or posting item through the door in case of potential transmission risk. Please be reassured that a) if someone is potentially infected, they are unlikely to have made contact with the external side of a letter box or their own doorbell, and b) whilst virus particles can survive on objects such as door handles etc. this is unlikely in an external environment.
What happens if someone was to test positive / self-isolate after we had been in contact with them?
Provided precautions are taken (hand hygiene, maintaining distance, etc. as currently described in guidance), then the risk of transmission is low. The CRCC/Duty manager will maintain records of where volunteers have visited, and health teams will identify risk and conduct tracing.
When deploying volunteers to any incident the CRCC/Duty manager will:
- Record first and last names of all the personnel deployed with the exact addresses visited
- Communicate with local duty manager (or line manager/CR team if duty manager wishes to discuss) if any concerns are raised regarding a deployment to discuss and make an appropriate decision.
- Wherever possible, regularly wash your hands with soap and water for a least 20 seconds
- Ensure you have access to hand gel and/or soap and water. Hand sanitiser has been placed on all response vehicles. Due to scarcity we ask that these remain on the vehicles after deployment.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or a flexed elbow, then throw the tissue in a bin and wash your hands immediately
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Any contact with a person suspected to be infected with Covid-19 must be reported immediately via Red Cross incident reporting procedures and the submission of a DATIX report (Incident reporting and investigation, including serious incidents, procedure).
- Should you encounter someone self-isolating with a suspected or confirmed case, please ensure that you maintain a minimum distance of 2 metres between yourself and them, and that contact lasts less than 15 minutes. Follow recommended hygiene practices throughout.
- Where contact details are available and where possible undertake telephone contact first to establish if a visit is necessary
- If contact details not available/possible and physical response required, follow these steps:
2.Step back from the door (if possible, maintain 2 metre distance)
3.Enquire about isolation status on first contact
4.If self-isolating, follow instructions for delivery
Delivery of items to homesIf required to deliver items to homes (e.g. food parcels, medications, torches, hot water, including social services referrals), ER responders should:
- make contact with service user in advance if possible
- Identify if the service user(s) are self-isolating
- Agree an appointment time for delivery
1.Agree / identify time to drop off parcel
2.On arrival, deposit items at the door of the property
3.Make presence known (ring doorbell, knock on door etc.)
4.Step back from the door (if possible, maintain 2 metre distance)
5.Acknowledge service user receiving parcel/item
- If medications are involved make additional assurance step to confirm receipt of medications.
Reception CentresWhen responding to a reception centre liaise with local authority/responding partner about their plans. The advice is to establish:
- If they have sperate accommodation/pre-defined isolation area available for people known to be isolating.
- If this area has its own toilet facility
- Arrangements for the facility/isolation area to be regularly cleaned
- Have they followed the advice from PHE guidance for businesses?
When supporting at the reception centre, follow this guidance
- Direct people to the appropriate centre/area to avoid cross contamination.
- If door knocking as part of a planned evacuation, follow the guidance for door to door activity as above
- If someone arrives at a reception centre and identifies as self-isolating, or begins to feel unwell or develops symptoms, direct to pre-defined ‘isolation area’ (as described in PHE guidance for businesses), ideally with access to their own toilet facility.
- If previously identified as self-isolating, and separate accommodation has already been arranged, signpost to that accommodation and identify a means of transport as directed by the requesting partner
- If you identify people who are symptomatic but well, follow the current guidance and contact/signpost them to 111 for further advice
- If you identify people who are symptomatic and unwell, call 999 and advise of Covid-19 risk
Delivery of items to isolation centres
- Contact provider in advance to establish safe location to deliver to, and named contact
- On arrival, deliver only to identified location and contact named person(s)
Q&AWhat about face masks?
Appropriate personal protective equipment is available to provide protection based on the specific role and potential risks in-line with Public Health Bodies infection prevention control guidance. Face masks play a very important role in clinical settings, such as hospitals but there is very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of these clinical settings.
Is it safe to approach homes and touch doorbells etc?
Some volunteers have expressed concern around ringing doorbells or posting item through the door in case of potential transmission risk. Please be reassured that a) if someone is potentially infected, they are unlikely to have made contact with the external side of a letter box or their own doorbell, and b) whilst virus particles can survive on objects such as door handles etc. this is unlikely in an external environment.
What happens if someone was to test positive / self-isolate after we had been in contact with them?
Provided precautions are taken (hand hygiene, maintaining distance, etc. as currently described in guidance), then the risk of transmission is low. The CRCC/Duty manager will maintain records of where volunteers have visited, and health teams will identify risk and conduct tracing.
