Health and Safety Guidance

Local Authority Public Health Contact

For any outstanding queries concerning health, our key contact is Helene Denness, RN/RN (Child), MPH, FFPH.  Telephone 0115 876 5955, or email Helene.Denness@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Local Authority Schools Health and Safety Team

David Thompson – Schools Health and Safety Manager

Alison Sheldon – Health and Safety Advisor for Schools (first point of call regarding use of the incident database)

Social Distancing and Test / Trace

Public Health England use the following definition as “close contact” in determining whether persons need to self-isolate for 14 days after being in contact with someone who has tested positive 48 hours before their symptoms started:

  • having face-to-face contact with someone less than 1 metre away (this will include times where you have worn a face covering or a face mask)
  • spending more than 15 minutes within 2 metres of someone
  • travelling in a car or other small vehicle with someone (even on a short journey)

In the event that a member of staff or pupil tests positive within the bubble then close contacts may not necessarily include other members of staff in the bubble if they have strictly followed the social distancing guidelines.  It is recognised that this is not possible in many cases.

It should also be noted that if members of staff from different bubbles meet up socially outside of school even when following government guidelines, they may still be classed as close contacts and will need to self-isolate if one develops symptoms and tests positive.

First Aiders

First aid provision in schools where there are considerably fewer pupils and staff should be adjusted accordingly. Assuming that all pupils and staff are relatively close within the setting then one paediatric and one EFAW/FAW should be sufficient and rotas should be organised such that this can be achieved.

The OFSTED requirement of having a paediatric first aider on site where there are 0-5 year olds still applies; apart from the regulatory requirement, many of the pupils remaining in school may be SEN and at a higher risk of injury or illness.

EFAW and FAW provision is required to treat older pupils and staff. In exceptional circumstances a paediatric first aider could treat these with the additional knowledge how the treatment differs with older children and adults. You could purchase the following book and you ask them to read through the relevant sections and/or ask them to complete an online course e.g. St. John Ambulance.

The paediatric first aider should not provide any first aid treatment that they are not competent to do, otherwise they should phone 111 or 999 depending on the medical emergency.

Please contact David Thompson via david.thompson@nottinghamcity.gov.uk if you are in any doubt or require guidance on this matter. Further advice can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/news/first-aid-certificate-coronavirus.htm.

Exemplar Risk Assessment Documents
PPE Guidance
PPE Ordering Website
AGP Local Guidance

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Guidance for Aerosol Generating Procedures within education and children’s social care settings can be found below: