SWINE FLU UPDATE

 In the event of a pandemic which may happen in the winter — The symptoms of swine flu are those you would expect from any flu, including:

· Fever, Fatigue

· Lack of appetite, Coughing

· Sore throat. Some people with swine flu have also reported vomiting and diarrhoea.

· A continuous 12-24 hr temperature is a sign you ”may” be infected with swine flu.

What to do If you have these symptoms: - Barrier Creation:-

· Do not attend work—You are not permitted to leave your room in your house—safeguard your family—separate towels/linen/forks,spoons,cup/plates

· you must inform your GP and Co-ordinator.

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· Do not leave your room, except for bathroom.

· nor have contact which could pass on the virus to a family member, especially children or elderly.

· Keep your door closed,

· A member of your family/ neighbour must collect prescriptions for you, etc.

If you become unwell with flu symptoms during work, inform your co-ordinator immediately and we will ensure you leave for home. Our co-ordinator must then contact a 24 hour Public Health Line to inform them you are off sick in this area with possible swine flu. They must also pass on your name and address.

If a Service User/Patient is suspected of having swine flu, you must follow (at all times) normal hygiene procedures for care,

· Handwashing on entering/leaving.

· Normally wearing gloves for dealing with bodily fluids.

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· With the addition of aprons and masks. This will be done at the office from this week forward.

· Touch as little as possible in the User home (door knobs, etc)

Inform us immediately and ensure the family have informed the service user’s GP, if you have to wear a mask during visits to this User/patient.

We are using cascade training among our teams — we have trained staff to pass this training onto others they work with. If you have not received training from one of these staff you must inform our office immediately.

Any further queries should be directed to our Director.