NHS Staff particularly those working with cancer patients

[nettie68]

Does the rule changes mean that when my DH comes in for chemo, he can potentially be treated by a staff member who is covid positive?

Do you mean the possible end to free testing for staff or the uturn on compulsory vaccines. Sorry to hear about your dh and hope he is ok

I’d assume OP means the end to legal need to isolate. Along with stopping free testing.

I wondered this yesterday, not heard anything yet and I work for the nhs! So no idea if I tested positive on Thursday could I do a shift or not.

Yes, the end of free testing and also the fact they won't be isolating but coming into work instead.

@nettie68

Does the rule changes mean that when my DH comes in for chemo, he can potentially be treated by a staff member who is covid positive?

There has always always been the chance your DH could be treated by someone who has covid

No. NHS staff guidelines haven't been published yet but it' s likely we will still have to stay at home with symptoms as we do now.

I highly doubt that NHS trusts will remove the obligation to isolate with Covid in the near future, particularly for staff within oncology.

The short answer is I don't know as we haven't had guidance yet. But at my trust they have made their own decisions about what it safe re isolating, testing and mask wearing on site depending on rates of infection/admissions and I would imagine NHS trusts will continue to do so for the safety of patients. Try not to worry yet, but give trusts some time to work out what is going to happen.

I wonder if they will do another uturn and offer free testing to staff and patients. I also wonder how many staff have already gone to work positive without testing or isolating.

Obviously, but now the chances are even higher.

I work in an NHS cancer centre and our trust announced today that there would be no change for us. We are still to test, isolate etc the same as we have been.

@AWellReadWoman

I work in an NHS cancer centre and our trust announced today that there would be no change for us. We are still to test, isolate etc the same as we have been.

That's good news, I hope it is the same where we are. Just another stress we don't need along with the cancer.

@AWellReadWoman

I work in an NHS cancer centre and our trust announced today that there would be no change for us. We are still to test, isolate etc the same as we have been.

I imagine working with people undergoing chemo that your trust also discourage staff coming into work with colds, flu, sore throats etc

@Alliswells you would hope so but a lot of trusts work on "traffic light systems" with staff sickness ie. you will quite roundly get pulled up if you go off regularly with colds etc. There was always a massive culture of presenteeism in the NHS, not least because you land your colleagues in it with staffing problems, however I don't think we are at that stage (yet) of ignoring covid just yet .

Yes that's actually quite a good point about presentism in the NHS

I don’t work with cancer patients but I’m fairly certain NHS Trusts will make their own rules and will basically not change much from the current regime.

I’m sorry your husband is undergoing chemo and can see this must be very worrying💐

I’m NHS and our Trust have said they will meet and discuss next week and everything stays the same until then. I really don’t see anything changing and as a manager I won’t be supporting COVID positive people coming to work at all! Seems like a recipe for disaster but NHS Trusts aren’t stupid, they need to safeguard patients and staff and wantonly exposing either group to COVID is not sensible regardless of what Boris Johnson says!