Public Health England has launched its national test and trace programme1 where people who test positive for COVID-19 are contracted either by the national system or the GM regional system to identify people who do not live in the same household as the positive case but may have had close contact with them, which puts them at risk of contracting and transmitting COVID-19.
As part of the test and trace programme, details of staff working within a healthcare setting or patients tested prior to admission who are found to be COVID-19 positive, will be passed to the single point of contact in the Trust. Specific national guidance has been published for the management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings.
This guidance requires the Trust to identify contacts of the positive case, conduct risk assessments in conjunction with local infection prevention and control (IPC) policies and make decisions regarding whether the individual is a significant contact and needs to self-isolate for 10 days.