Care home COVID-19 guidance: FOI release

Information requested

• Guidance that was issued to all care homes (including Overdon House) in relation to coronavirus and mitigating the spread of the virus between patients at the time of your clients’ mother’s death.
• Guidance that was issued to all care homes (including Overdon House) in relation to when patients with coronavirus or presumed coronavirus would have access to medical assistance from a doctor or a hospital.
• Guidance that was issued to all care homes (including Overdon House) in relation to allowing patients to return to care homes from hospital with coronavirus or presumed coronavirus.

Response

Your request for information has been treated under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. I attach copies of the published versions of the national clinical guidance for nursing and residential care homes and COVID-19. We have taken your request to start from March 2020 until the date of this request, 25 October 2022. Please note we have not received a reply to our request to narrow the scope of this request on 16 November 2022.

You should be aware that guidance for care homes has been published by Health Protection Scotland (subsequently Public Health Scotland) some of which replaced Scottish Government guidance. For example, the Scottish Government’s COVID clinical and professional guidance (National Clinical and Practice Guidance for Adult Care Homes) was stood down following the development of more detailed PHS guidance.

In addition, specific Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance produced by Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI Scotland). This is set out as follows:

1. COVID-19 - information and guidance for care home settings (adults and older people) from Health protection Scotland (subsequently Public Health Scotland) which was first published in March 2020 then has been regularly updated (see latest link COVID-19 - information and guidance for social, community and residential care settings - version 2.4 - COVID-19 - information and guidance for social, community and residential care settings (including care homes for older people registered with the Care Inspectorate) - Publications - Public Health Scotland). For archived versions of the guidance please see: HPS Website - Information and guidance for care home settings (scot.nhs.uk) - from 21 April 2020
2. Specific IPC guidance produced by ARHAI Scotland who produce the National Infection Prevention and Control manual for care homes. As part of this, the Winter (21/22), Respiratory Infections in Health and Care Settings Infection Prevention and Control (IP) Addendum includes care homes. This sets out the COVID-19 pandemic measures still in place which should be used by community health and care settings including care homes. 

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.