COVID-19 Guidance for commissioners & providers of hostel services updated

On 6 January 2021  Public Health England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government updated  the COVID-19: guidance for hostel services for people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping.

The guidance covers:

  • Hostels with individual self-contained rooms with en-suite facilities that have shared kitchens
  • Hostels without individual self-contained rooms and that have communal facilities

This guidance does not cover night shelters.

The guidance covers practical advice such as how hostels should implement daily monitoring of COVID-19 symptoms among residents and staff. Each resident should be assessed daily for:

  • A high temperature
  • A new, continuous cough
  • A loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

Those working in hostels are classed as essential workers and can apply for priority testing through GOV.UK.

In addition it provides details on  how colleagues working across health and care on the homeless health response to COVID-19 can access a dedicated collaborative workspace, on the Future NHS platform. The latest resources and emerging practice from around the country can be accessed here, as well as the opportunity to share ideas and ask questions.

To join the workspace email homelesshealthcovid19-manager@future.nhs.uk.

The revised guidance can be found here.