COVID-19 – PROTECT YOUR EMPLOYEES

Background

GPDQ works with insurers and employers to cut the cost of healthcare and improve the health of the nation’s workforce through our provision of a complete range of preventative and reactive services.

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is undoubtedly high on your agenda and although there is no vaccine yet, and private testing is not yet available, GPDQ can offer several solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of your workforce.

We are by now all aware that we are facing a worldwide outbreak of COVID-19. Although there have been other coronaviruses in the past, this is a completely new strain that has arisen in Wuhan in China probably within the last 3-4 months, and there is no effective available vaccine.

Although the temptation is to compare it to influenza, it is very different in a number of key ways. The most common presentation is a one week prodrome of myalgia (muscle pain), malaise (feeling non-specifically under the weather), cough, and low grade fevers. COVID-19 may never progress beyond this stage, but can also develop into a more severe illness marked by difficulty breathing. This tends to occur in the second week of infection.

It tends to take about 8 days for an affected individual to develop shortness of breath, and a small proportion of those affected by breathlessness will go on to develop pneumonia within 8 or 9 days of onset. Influenza tends to have a very sudden onset, and is markedly different to COVID-19 in this respect. Patients may or may not suffer from a raised temperature, and it is therefore not a reliable indicator of likely infection.

Again, unlike influenza, patients do not tend to be secondarily affected with bacterial infections, which are the commonest cause of pneumonia and death in pneumonia patients. Patients over the age of 60 with underlying health problems seem to be far more susceptible to severe symptoms including pneumonia.

Chinese hospitals and clinics that had significant numbers of exposed clinicians did allow those with low and moderate risk exposures to return to work well before 14 days. Only those with the highest risk exposures were excluded for the full 14 days that are currently advised. However, on their return to work, all of them were made to wear surgical masks in the workplace until a full 14 days had elapsed. All had temperature checks and health assessment interviews prior to their return to work and at the end of 14 days. Obviously, only asymptomatic individuals were allowed back.

GENERAL WELLBEING

You’ve had no suspected or confirmed cases in the workplace yet your staff are confused by media reports and understandably worried about the impact of COVID-19. 

We can host a webinar for your employees to answer any questions that they may have and host further Q&A’s as the situation progresses.

Following this we can send an experienced GP to your workplace to carry out general health and wellbeing checks. Testing includes:

·      Health history

·      BMI

·      Blood pressure

·      ENT (ear, nose, throat) examination

·      Chest and abdomen examination

·      Heart sounds

·      Peak flow and saturation

·      Glucose

·      Cholesterol

REPORTED/ CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASE IN THE WORKPLACE

If there is a reported/ confirmed case in your workplace and you’ve been advised to close for a period of 14 days, to allow employees to self isolate we can still help with their general health needs. 

It’s not possible to see anyone in isolation face to face but we can provide a telemedicine consultation and if necessary prescribe from this/ organise for essential prescriptions to be delivered.

SAFE RETURN TO WORK

Following confirmed cases and periods of isolation we can assess your staff on their return to work to ensure that they are recovered and ready to work at full strength without any potential compromise to themselves or their colleagues.

·     Detailed medical history

·     Temperature check

·     Blood pressure

·     Full assessment of Ears, Nose and Throat

·     Full examination of chest, heart and abdomen

·     Peak flow and oxygen saturations

·     Blood tests (at an extra charge) if the above history and examination suggest that this is advisable

For more information on how we can support your employees and your business please reach out to lukas@gpdq.co.uk or call +44 7380 944281