Infectious disease statement

This page outlines the response procedure to be followed in cases where a member of the university is suspected or confirmed to have an infectious disease.

Purpose

1.2. The document has been developed in consultation with the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Health, Safety and Wellbeing, and other key staff at the University.

1.3. The university approach to the management of an outbreak will be directed by local public health and UKHSA colleagues. This document provides an overview of our approach and the key actions which need to be followed once a case has been identified.

1.4. Any member of staff who suspects that a student may have an infectious disease should refer them immediately for medical help, calling the NHS 111 service, or calling 999 in an emergency, and await further instruction.

2. Background and context

2.1. Where UKHSA is notified of an infectious disease requiring public health actions at the university, UKHSA and public health colleagues will provide clear advice on the actions recommended and the rationale behind them.

2.2. The legal responsibility to notify the UKHSA lies with the “responsible medical practitioner”. UKHSA provides advice and guidance on what constitutes a notifiable disease and how to report them.

2.3. Any requests for information related a member(s) of the university community will be provided in a timely way to enable UKHSA and public health services to fulfil their duty of care in protecting the health of the public. All requests for information from UKHSA are supported by the UKHSA & Privacy Notice.

2.4. The Student Experience and Support Directorate is the lead for all UKHSA and public health issues. The Lead Contact within SES is the primary relationship link with UKHSA and local public health services and all communication will be directed through this route. In the absence of the Lead Contact, the deputy will be contacted.

Lead contact: Dr Anji Gardiner

email: a.b.gardiner@salford.ac.uk

mobile: 07960060412

Deputy contact: Nicole Holt

email: n.c.holt@salford.ac.uk

2.5. The University’s response will be guided by the context of the situation in partnership with UKHSA and public health colleague. Dependent upon the scope and scale of the situation, various teams from across the university will be involved in the response. This will be governed on a case-by-case basis and will likely include colleagues from Health and Safety, Human Resources, Estates and Marketing and Communications.

2.6. The University’s response will be guided by the context of the situation in partnership with UKHSA and public health colleague. Dependent upon the scope and scale of the situation, various teams from across the university will be involved in the response. This will be governed on a case-by-case basis and will likely include colleagues from Health and Safety, Human Resources, Estates and Marketing and Communications.

2.7. UKHSA have a range of information and national guidance available related to communicable diseases and other public health related issues. UKHSA will always refer to guidance relevant to the situation when working and communicating with the university. Links to relevant, appropriate information and guidance related to a particular situation will be provided by UKHSA to inform and support the recommended approach.

3. Action in the event of a notified case

3.1. Where a case has been identified and is linked to the university, UKHSA will contact the university via the Lead Contact to seek for support in managing a public health incident. In the event the Lead Contact is unavailable, the deputy will be contacted.

3.2. In the event of an outbreak, UKHSA would explain the case definition for the disease in question and what public health actions are recommended. UKHSA provide guidance on the outbreak of communicable disease. This guidance outlines the processes followed to support local health protection systems to aid understanding of our role in response to an outbreak.

3.3. UKHSA will discuss with the university any actions which are being taken for the specific disease and agree any actions to be taken by the university in response to the situation.

3.4. Depending upon the situation and nature of the outbreak, a response team may be best up to support the activity within the and across the university.

3.5. UKHSA may make direct contact with close contacts (e.g. meningococcal contacts) and in some circumstance may advise a warn and inform message. Where information is requested from UKHSA regarding any members of the university community as part of this process it will be provided in a timely way, and include the information requested by UKHSA.

3.6. Dependent upon the situation, UKHSA may request correspondence such as a warn and inform letter is shared with individuals. All communication approaches will be determined by the UKHSA and public health incident management team leading the situation.

3.7. The university may be requested to support with the distribution of the warn and inform letter but will be provided with a template and be supported by UKHSA and local public health teams. Specific individuals and cohorts for the targeted information will be agreed upon by UKHSA and the university and dependent upon the situation.

3.8. Where there is a request for the university to support with communications regarding public health, UKHSA and local public health teams would work with the university both in terms of content and the distribution of the information.

3.9. The contact details for our local UKHSA and Public Health teams are:

GM UKHSA Switchboard – Telephone: 0344 225 0562

Salford Health Protection Team, Public Health – Telephone: 0161 793 3599 (9am to 5pm)

Roles & responsibilities

Where it is deemed appropriate to set up an incident response team, colleagues from a range of areas may be required to support the response to the incident. This may vary dependent on the situation, but the primary areas who may be involved are highlighted below along with a list of the types of activity they may be asked to undertake. The actions may however vary depending on the situation and context.

Area	Function / activity
United Kingdom health Security Agency (UKHSA)	UKHSA roles and responsibilities may vary dependent on the situation and context. The specific roles and responsibilities of UKHSA colleagues will be defined and explained for each situation. More information regarding the role of UKHSA is available at About us - UK Health Security Agency. UKHSA and public health colleagues will guide and support the university across all areas of activity related to the incident, from initial identification of a case through to completion and final learning review. This will include ensuring the university has all relevant, update to date information and guidance which will be shared as appropriate within the university setting.
University Lead Contact (& deputy)	The Lead Contact (or deputy) is the primary relationship link with UKHSA and public health teams. They are responsible for all response activity and directing activity with key service areas and staff at the University. The Lead Contact will attend UKHSA incident management team (IMT) meetings where incident specific issues and decisions will be discussed. Working with the IMT, the lead contact will agree the most appropriate route for information sharing, which may include a decision not to share more widely with members of the university community. This decision will be based upon the situation and the desire to avoid creating any unnecessary anxiety within the university community. The Lead Contact will liaise with all relevant academic and professional services areas as demanded by the situation. This may include and is not limited to: Working with colleagues to identify students and staff who may require engagement and / or screening with public health services Working with colleagues to identify students and staff who may require specific communications such as warn and inform letters Working with colleagues to support delivery of institution wide communications and messaging, including responses to any media enquiries Working with academic and professional services staff to identify the most appropriate staff member / team to maintain contact with those involved e.g. HR, Schools, Student Support. Enacting any student or staff facing policy and / or procedure as required and relevant to the situation. Working closely with askUS to ensure responses to enquiries are accurate and consistent and that the nature of any enquiries regarding the situation are highlighted and shared with the Lead Contact
Marketing & communications	The Marketing and Communications team (M&CT) will work closely with the Lead Contact to ensure any information and communications as directed by UKHSA are managed consistently, effectively and delivered in a timely way. Working with the Lead Contact, M&CT will support information and communication delivery to specific groups of individuals (students and colleagues). In the event of media interest and enquiries being made, M&CT will liaise with colleagues in the university Public Relations Office and UKHSA to ensure appropriate responses to any enquiries are made and aligned to any UKHSA or public health responses and / or communications.
Estates	The Estates team will work closely with the Lead Contact and provide a point of contact across facilities, accommodation and the sports centre to deliver any actions as required. The Estates Team will provide any building plans or other estate related information as required by the UKHSA. The Estates Team will work with any external agencies in relation to the physical estate and buildings as appropriate.
Students Union	The Students Union will work closely with the Lead Contact and provide a point of contact to deliver any actions as required.
Schools	The schools will work closely with the Lead Contact and provide a point of contact to deliver any actions as required. This may include and is not limited to: Supporting in the identification of groups of students and staff who may have association with the case. Contacting specific groups of students Signposting and supporting students to access support services Ensuring any implications related to the programme of study are considered and mitigated against for students involved with the incident
Human Resources	The HR team will work closely with the Lead Contact and provide a point of contact to deliver any actions as required. This may include and is not limited to: Supporting in the identification of staff who may have association with the case. Contacting specific groups of staff Signposting and supporting staff to access support services
Student Administration	The Student Administration team will work closely with the Lead Contact and will provide a primary point of contact to support with the collation of student information as required by UKHSA and public health teams.
GP Practice	The GP practice will work closely with the Lead Contact and will provide a primary point of contact to support with any actions required that are related to the incident.