In our last all staff webinar we discussed our plans to get back to some face to face delivery (click here to access the webinar recording), during the session there were a series of questions around how we would navigate this. The answers to your questions can be found below;

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Q. Will we need to follow COVID-19 safety measures when returning to face to face delivery?

Yes. Despite government legislation relaxing restrictions, we will be keeping the safety measures in place for the time being, including masks, hand hygiene/sanitising of equipment etc in line with our COVID-19 safety measures document which can be found here. This is in line with primary care and NHS England guidance which hasn’t yet changed from when it was brought in to manage the pandemic.

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Q: Will we be using CO monitors in stop smoking clinics?

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Yes, so long as risk assessments for individual clinic locations determine this is safe. PHE and NCSCT have produced guidance which includes meeting the following conditions before resuming CO monitoring;

• Advisors to remain 2 meters away when the reading is being taken, and ensure client is not facing advisor when blowing into the machine
• Only to be conducted in well ventilated rooms
• D pieces (mouthpieces) to be removed and discarded by the client (not the advisor), and wash their hands/use sanitiser straight after.

The NCSCT Guidance is here.

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We mainly use BEDFONT machines, please see their specific guidance attached below.

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Q: What will our procedures be for using physical activity equipment (e.g. resistance bands), do we need to sanitise etc between uses?

Yes, we need to continue sanitising equipment between use –risk assessments should demonstrate how this will be managed in each session, including;

• No exchange of equipment between people during a single session  
• All equipment to be fully sanitised prior to and after a session

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Q: What about weight management groups where there are both education sessions and PA sessions. Will masks have to be worn for the education bit but not for the PA bit?

Yes, masks will need to be worn for the education element and removed for the physical activity element, providing clients are able to social distance (2 metres apart) to do PA.

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Q: What constitutes a safe external venue (e.g. what are the ventilation requirements? Do we need a checklist?).

Each external venue will have their own risk assessment – request to see this or ask for assurance that they have considered this aspect in their risk assessment and ensure either suitable air conditioning is in place or well ventilated with windows and doors opened as necessary. If in doubt, do not use the venue.

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Q: What if delivery staff get ‘pinged’ or get coronavirus? How long should they stay away from f2f delivery?

This depends on government guidance which can be found here.

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In most cases (at the time of writing this in August 2021), whether pinged by the app or testing positive for COVID-19, staff will need to self-isolate for 10 days and therefore stay away from f2f delivery for 10 days from the last contact with the person who tested positive or date of their own positive test. As from 16th August, the exception to the guidance is set to change so that anyone who has been double vaccinated for COVID-19 will not need to self isolate. Please check the latest guidance in the link above at the current time so that you follow the right steps.