Guidance

New government recommendations for England NHS hospital trusts and private hospital providers

Updated 14 April 2022

This guidance was withdrawn on

Further information can be found in the NHS National infection prevention and control manual and at COVID-19: information and advice for health and care professionals.

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/new-government-recommendations-for-england-nhs-hospital-trusts-and-private-hospital-providers

Following the Secretary of State for Health’s announcement on 5 June 2020, by 15 June 2020:

  • hospitals should ensure that measures are in place so that all settings are, where practicable, COVID-secure, using social distancing, optimal hand hygiene, frequent surface decontamination, ventilation and other measures where appropriate

  • in all settings that are unable to be delivered as COVID-19 secure, all hospital staff (both in clinical and non-clinical roles), when not otherwise required to use personal protective equipment, should wear a facemask; worn to prevent the spread of infection from the wearer*

  • visitors and outpatients to hospital settings should wear a form of face covering for the same reason, to prevent the spread of infection from the wearer

*The recommendation is for a Type I or Type II facemask worn to prevent the spread of infection from the wearer. If Type IIR facemasks are more readily available, and there are no local supply issues for their use as personal protective equipment, then these can be used as an alternative to Type I or Type II masks.

The extended use of face masks does not remove the need for other key bundles of measures to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, including social/physical distancing, optimal hand hygiene, frequent surface decontamination, ventilation and other measures where appropriate. Reliance on individual (as opposed to bundles of) measures to reduce the risk of virus transmission is not sufficient.

This guidance will be reviewed as new detail/evidence on COVID-19 emerges. As rates of COVID-19 change in both community and hospital settings, and notably the nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 decreases, the case for continued use of the extended face mask recommendations will be reviewed.

Further practical detail will be cascaded via operational channels by NHS England.

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