COVID-19 testing for pharmacy staff and self-isolation guidance
COVID-19 testing for pharmacy staff and self-isolation guidance
This page contains information on how pharmacy team members can access testing for COVID-19 and action to be taken if staff have a positive test result or are a contact of someone with COVID-19.
Page last updated: 30th March 2022
The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) guidance on COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings should be consulted by pharmacy contractors before making decisions related to staff exposed to or infected with COVID-19.
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 21st February 2022 and the publication of the Government policy document – COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19 – NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) issued initial guidance to NHS service providers, including community pharmacy contractors.
Regular pharmacy staff testing for COVID-19
From 1st April 2022, COVID-19 Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests cease to be available to most members of the public via NHS Test and Trace.
However, it is still recommended that all pharmacy staff test twice-weekly using a self-administered LFD test and report their results through the GOV.UK website. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that NHS staff, including patient-facing community pharmacy team members, would continue to be able to access LFD tests for this purpose.
This confirmation was included in an announcement made on 29th March 2022, with further information being provided to pharmacy contractors in a letter issued by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) on 30th March 2022.
LFD tests will continue to be available through the GOV.UK website for NHS staff working in a patient-facing role. NHSE&I is also working with the UK Health Security Agency to determine how routine asymptomatic testing should be stepped down in line with any decrease in prevalence rates.
Symptomatic staff should test themselves using LFDs. LFD tests will continue to be available through the GOV.UK website for NHS staff in England with symptoms.
Staff who test positive should continue to follow the current return to work guidance. LFDs to support this guidance will continue to be available through the GOV.UK website for NHS staff in England.
Staff who are household contacts of a positive COVID-19 case will now be able to continue to work as normal if they remain asymptomatic and continue to test twice weekly. They will no longer be required to have a PCR test in order to return to work.
If ordering their tests online, staff should select yes to the question ‘Do you work for the NHS in England and take part in their staff testing programme?’. Staff should then input the postcode of their workplace to ensure the tests are registered as belonging to a healthcare worker.
Reporting of all test results via GOV.UK is imperative – whether negative, void or positive.
Reporting COVID-19 exposure in the workplace
The Health and Safety Executive has published guidance on reporting cases of COVID-19 transmission that happened in the workplace under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013. This includes guidance for employers about using their judgement on whether or not a confirmed diagnosis is likely to have been caused by an occupational exposure and when to report.
Return to the main COVID-19 hub page
