Scotland clarifies test and protect guidance

Guidance on the role of personal protective equipment (PPE) when it comes to vets – and the NHS test and protect system – has been clarified by the Scottish Government.

As part of a clarification, when PPE such as visors, aprons, masks or gloves has been used in a veterinary setting, contact tracers will carry out a risk assessment to decide whether exposure risk is sufficient to require contacts to self-isolate.

Shut down fear

When contact tracing systems were introduced in the four nations of the UK, the BVA raised concerns veterinary practices could be forced to shut down because of the difficulties in vets physically distancing in certain aspects of their work.

Concerns about the impact in Scotland in particular were raised because some remote and rural areas may be left with limited animal health and welfare provision.

The clarification came after the BVA raised the issue directly with Scottish Government ministers and Scotland CVO Sheila Voas. Similar clarifications were provided by Public Health England in August.

Vets in Scotland

Some of the guidance highlighted by the BVA specifically for Scottish vets is:

• Members of the veterinary team do not need to wear more PPE than they usually would. It should be based on the practice’s own risk assessments. Full use of PPE is only appropriate in situations where a team member cannot maintain social distancing in their work, such as during dental work or surgery.
• Social distancing, hand hygiene and biosecurity are all key aspects of disease control, and use of PPE should not be used as a substitute for these measures. Any use of PPE must, therefore, also be accompanied by ongoing social and physical distancing (as far as possible), hand hygiene and good biosecurity.
• Veterinary professionals should continue to work in dedicated small teams and pairs, and practise social and physical distancing as much as possible.
• If a member of the veterinary team is contacted by a contact tracing call handler, he or she should provide full details about his or her PPE. The contact tracer should then carry out an individual risk assessment to determine if you are required to self-isolate.

‘Helpful’

BVA Scottish branch president Kathleen Robertson said: “We’re delighted the Scottish Government has taken our members’ concerns on board, and issued this helpful clarification to reflect the way that veterinary professionals are working during COVID-19 to keep themselves and their clients safe.

“I know a lot of practices were extremely worried that if a team member was contact traced it could potentially force the whole practice to shut down for two weeks. This could be really detrimental to animal welfare and make things particularly challenging in remote areas.

“It’s fantastic that this guidance has now come into play in England and Scotland. The BVA will continue to raise the issue in Wales and Northern Ireland, and hopes that a similar approach is taken.”

The full contact tracing guidance is available online.