Nurses who do injections PPE

[Mary1935]

I work in a community mental health team and give injections in the bottom and the arm of clients.
I don’t feel comfortable carrying out this procedure due to very close contact being needed.
We are not allowed to wear PPE - just gloves.

The only intervention is asking the clients if they have had a cough of temp. We take the temp.
Given that social distancing is required due to a two metre rule and other symptoms must come on prior to having the cough or the temperature I’m concerned.
Any guidance welcome.
A social worker colleague in another big trust has advised me that all staff giving injections are wearing PPE.

I'm the same in a mental health team. No ppe unless they have symptoms

Thanks bottomplasters!! Great name 😀😀
Ive been off this week but am due in tomorrow.
I have just been doing my own research on line you will find helpful and share with your team.

It’s “Guidance for infection prevention and control in healthcare settings”
Covid -19 Version 1.1 27/03/2020

Look section 2.1 page 8.
I will be emailing my team tomorrow.
Take care

Bumping for information sharing

Masks are only needed for aerosol generating procedures. So suction, nebulisers etc.

Gloves are PPE! That is all you need for an asymptomatic patient.

Hi then am I reading the update correctly.
It’s infection prevention and control.
Is it just for patients diagnoses then or suspected?
We do not know who is infected do we.
We only know the ones with a cough and or temperature. We are all surely intelligent enough to know that patients must have other symptoms before getting said cough or temperature.

We are fully aware that the government is telling us to socially distance up to 2 metres.
We are to behave as if we have it and avoid others.

I am expected to come very close to a patient wearing just gloves?
I really am genuinely interested in others views.
Some clients are being changed from the depot injection to oral medication, mainly if they aren’t happy with attending the CMHT -
We are carrying out essential visits only.

I do this in general practice and currently gloves only unless patient has symptoms, in which case they should not be coming in anyway.
It is possible that guidance will change on this soon, but that probably relies on stock of PPE rather than science.
If I wore a mask and goggles with every patient I would run out in a week.

One thing I am doing is prepping everything beforehand, so drawing up meds and getting system set up and having everything in arms reach, gloves and apron on then call patient in, do injection and send away. So although it is close contact, it is for about a minute. So reducing risk.

@Mary1935 do you have a link for that guidance? Googled it and no results.

Hi sorry I’m rubbish at links but if you search Gov.uk infection prevention Covid19 hopefully it’s there.
Gammeldragz you speak about wearing aprons?
We don’t have this.

It’s understandably concerning due to close range in which we give depots.
Thanks for your tips too re prepping.
What’s also interesting in another trust they are using PPE for the same thing. They appear to be two weeks ahead of us with information.
There are about 10 staff in our team and non are working from home?
Let’s take care everyone.
Thanks

Practice nurse here - just in the last week we have been told by the CCG to wear a surgical mask for asymptomatic pts and an FFP for those coughing etc (although not many with symptoms allowed in!!)

Another practice nurse. We've been told full PPE for all F2F from tomorrow.

Interesting, wonder if our CCG will follow suit...