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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-ppe-guide-for-adult-social-care-services-and-settings/covid-19-ppe-guide-for-adult-social-care-services-and-settings-text-only-version

This resource outlines COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) advice for people who work in adult social care services and settings.

Guidance should be used in conjunction with:

All of the following help to reduce the risk of infection spread:

This resource does not cover other infections, seek advice from a health professional as needed.

If you work in adult social care services or settings, you should ensure you wear the correct PPE for your work. We will describe what PPE you should wear in the following 4 common scenarios:

Providing personal care or cleaning the room of someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Undertaking care or a domestic task that involves potential contact with blood or body fluids for someone who does not have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Caring for someone who does not have suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and contact with blood or body fluids is not likely.

Undertaking domestic duties for someone who does not have suspected or confirmed COVID-19, or providing social contact within a care setting.

If you are caring for someone involving aerosol generating procedures (AGPs), you will need the enhanced PPE guidance for AGPs.

Care workers should wear a face mask in care settings and when providing care in people’s own homes, irrespective of whether the person being cared for is known or suspected to have COVID-19. This is sometimes referred to as ‘universal masking’ or ‘source control.’ It is a means of preventing spread of infection from the mask wearer.

You should wear the following PPE:

You should wear the following PPE:

You should wear the following PPE:

You should wear the following PPE:

You should wear appropriate PPE when caring for all individuals you care for:

Surgical masks should be changed:

To use eye protection safely:

Put on and remove face masks and eye protection at least 2 metres away from the people you are caring for.

Make sure you change your clothing at the end of your work duties. To safely launder your uniform or work clothes, you should wash:

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

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