Social distancing at hospitals eased to treat more patients
HOSPITALS have been told they can scrap the two-metre social distancing rule as part of measures to help the NHS treat more patients.
Infection experts have been asked to assess whether restrictions could be relaxed at other sites, including GP surgeries, as concern grows that such constraints are limiting access to face-toface appointments.
New guidance on infection control relaxes the limits for hospitals and removes the requirement for all patients to isolate and undergo testing before planned surgery.
Hospital chiefs have said that Covid protocols have constrained services, equal to the loss of about a tenth of beds.
They said the changes would “increase efficiency and capacity” at a time when it was most needed, with a record 5.5million people on NHS waiting lists.
The UK Health Security Agency said its review of evidence suggested some “pragmatic” changes could be made.
These include reducing physical distancing from two metres to one metre, in areas where patient access can be controlled, with the two-metre rule remaining in place in Accident & Emergency. Requirements for “enhanced cleaning” in hospitals will also be scaled back. Officials said that standard cleaning should be sufficient, given that the World Health Organisation has found limited evidence on transmission of Covid via surfaces.
Under the new rules, most patients who are fully vaccinated will not need to isolate before treatment, or do PCR tests, though lateral flow tests will still be required. Dr Jenny Harries, the UKHSA chief executive, said: “This is a first step to help the NHS treat more patients more quickly, while ensuring their safety and balancing their different needs for care.”
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said: “We can now safely begin to relieve some of the most stringent infection control where they are no longer necessary to benefit patients and ease the burden on NHS staff.”
Dr Layla Mccay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said: “The recommended changes will help to increase efficiency and capacity within healthcare settings.” Others questioned some of the new rules. Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at Reading University, welcomed some changes but said the removal of “enhanced cleaning smacks of corner cutting”.
It came as Stormont ministers agreed to end social distancing for shops, theatres and a number of other indoor settings in Northern Ireland. At a meeting last night, ministers decided to remove the one-metre distance requirement for the retail sector, indoor attractions and seated indoor venues. The measures are to take effect from 6pm on Thursday.
♦ Only 2 per cent of people who never wear a mask were found to have caught Covid, a survey by the Office for National Statistics has found. An analysis of Covid cases identified via the weekly coronavirus infection survey revealed that 1.8 per cent of people who said they never used a mask in enclosed spaces tested positive between Aug 29 and Sept 11. The proportion of infections was less than 0.9 per cent for those who always wore a mask.