Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

NHSTestingCoronavirusLatest NewsHealth and safety

Free Covid tests for workers in ‘high risk’ settings from 1 April

by Ashleigh Webber 30 Mar 2022
by Ashleigh Webber 30 Mar 2022 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

NHS, adult social care and prison staff will continue to be eligible for free Covid-19 tests when free testing for the general public ends on 1 April.

Under the government’s Living with Covid plan, people with symptoms of respiratory infection and a high temperature will be asked to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well again.

However, free asymptomatic testing will still be offered to people living and working in high risk settings including care homes, hospices, homecare organisations, homelessness settings, high risk domestic abuse refuges, prisons, immigration centres, and to NHS workers.

People who are at a higher risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19 will also be contacted directly and sent lateral flow tests to keep at home.

Guidance that employers can follow to reduce Covid-19 transmission in workplaces will be published on 1 April.

Living with Covid

Free Covid tests ‘vital’ for NHS staff, warn health leaders

Occupational health assessments recommended as self-isolation lifted

HR must be vigilant as remaining Covid restrictions end

Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: “As we learn to live with Covid, we are focusing our testing provision on those at higher risk of serious outcomes from the virus, while encouraging people to keep following simple steps to help keep themselves and others safe.

“The pandemic is not over and how the virus will develop over time remains uncertain. Covid still poses a real risk to many of us, particularly with case rates and hospitalisations on the rise. That is why it is sensible to wear a mask in enclosed spaces, keep indoor spaces ventilated and stay away from others if you have any symptoms of a respiratory illness, including Covid.”

Health secretary Sajid Javid said that vaccines remained the best defence against Covid-19, and urged those eligible for spring boosters to come forward.

Updated guidance for adult social care settings will also been issued. It will state that:

  • Free personal protective equipment and priority vaccinations and boosters for residents and staff will continue to be provided
  • Restrictions on staff movements between settings will be removed
  • Designated settings for patients who test positive for Covid-19 before they move into care homes will be removed
  • Streamlined guidance on infection and prevention control measures will be published, including future measures for Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses
  • Updated guidance for adult social care providers and staff to set out the current testing regime across adult social care will be introduced.

The government has also said free car parking at hospitals for NHS staff introduced during the pandemic will come to an end on 31 March. However, it said it would look at providing free hospital parking to more NHS patients and visitors, with more than 94% of trusts implementing free parking for night shift workers and “those who need it most”.

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more human resources jobs

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor of OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
HR careers survey: three in four confident about job prospects
next post
Ockenden Review: Minimum staffing levels a ‘must’ for maternity services

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Some firefighters receive £15,000 less maternity pay than...

15 Sep 2023

Fears crumbling concrete could generate ‘asbestos crisis’ in...

15 Sep 2023

Pret a Manger fined after worker trapped in...

31 Aug 2023

Food manufacturing health and safety: the risks that...

30 Aug 2023

Sewage leaks and legionella reported in government buildings

18 Aug 2023

Union welcomes investigation into ‘dangerous’ breathing apparatus policy

17 Aug 2023

Mental health top priority for new health and...

1 Aug 2023

Call for railway to improve workers’ toilet access

27 Jul 2023

Police Scotland beard ban postponed again

25 Jul 2023

Work-related deaths up 10% in past 12 months

7 Jul 2023

  • Discover the value of CIPD accreditation PROMOTED | See how the CIPD can increase your earning potential...Read more
  • What does it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (survey) PROMOTED | The world of HR is changing rapidly...Read more
  • The Contractor Management Mastery Pack: Everything you need to manage and pay global contractors PROMOTED | Answers to cross-border...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Join
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today