Swine flu general advice and information
SWINE FLU – general guidelines and information
Action by Jersey Health and Social Services
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Flu vaccination can be arranged via GPs
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People with concerns about payment for vaccination or treatment should contact the Social Security Department 445505.
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"Catch It, Bin It, Kill It" campaign to be relaunched for 2011
How can employers respond to the threat of a flu epidemic?
General guidance relating to a wide-spread swine flu epidemic advises large businesses to plan for employee absence levels of up to 15%, rising to 30% for small businesses and small teams. An epidemic or a more serious pandemic could also lead to disruptions at suppliers and customers and to shortages of fuel and other basic commodities. There may also be disruptions to public transport.
Employers should:
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Be prepared by developing a contingency plan.
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Have strategies to maximise the amount of home-working that is possible by staff.
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Investigate ways of increasing use of video links and teleconferencing which can help limit the amount of face-to-face contact.
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For service/customer facing organisations, explore the possibility of increasing the amount of online transactions as well as self-service options for customers.
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Have in place plans that will enable the organisation to operate on a skeleton staff.
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Identify key roles that must be carried out and identify those individuals who have a wide range of skills who can fulfil more than one function.
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Ensure that procedures are developed to ensure smooth handovers for employees who are filling in for colleagues in unfamiliar roles. It may be necessary to provide additional training and a risk assessment if individuals are moving to roles where there may be a healthy and safety risk.
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Stay up to date on the advice and guidance issued by the Jersey’s Chief Medical Officer of Health; UK sources of advice include Department of Health (DoH), the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the Health Safety Executive (HSE) – see Useful contacts section below.
What should employers do during an epidemic or pandemic?
Communicate clearly to employees that they need to take precautions to try and minimise the spread of infection and advise them on what to do if they think they may have caught the virus.
It is likely that pandemic flu, like seasonal flu, will spread from person to person by someone:
Touching or shaking the hand of an infected person and then touching their mouth, eyes or nose without first washing their hands.
T
ouching surfaces or objects that have become contaminated with the flu virus and then touching their mouth, eyes or nose without first washing their hands
Spreading the virus by coughing or sneezing.
The key prevention methods are:
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Always carry tissues
- Use clean tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze Bin the tissues after one use
- Wash your hands with soap and hot water or a sanitizer gel often.
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I
n short ’catch it, bin it, kill it’.
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Employers should send home anyone who starts to feel or exhibit flu-like symptoms. They should be advised to phone their GP and told not to return to work until the symptoms have cleared and they feel well enough to return.
Employees should be told that if they develop symptoms while not at work, they should:
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inform their employer to let them know they are ill and stay at home
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not go to work until they are fully recovered
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call their GP who will be able to provide a diagnosis over the phone or will make a home visit.
If swine flu is confirmed, they should ask a healthy friend or relative to visit their GP to pick up a document entitling them to antiviral medication They will then need to pick the medication up at a collection point your GP will advise on (a local pharmacy or similar).
Useful contacts
Department of Health Jersey: swine flu
Department of Health: pandemic flu
Health and Safety Executive: pandemic influenza
Health Protection Agency: swine influenza
World Health Organization: swine influenza
World Health Organization: pandemic preparedness
This factsheet was based on published advice in Jersey and on information written and updated by CIPD staff.