COVID-19 - Outbreak management planning
As we are moving towards recovering from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, local authorities are required to have a COVID-19 management plan for controlling and preventing the spread of the virus.
Our Outbreak Management Plan outlines measures to protect the public’s health by preventing, identifying and containing local Covid-19 outbreaks. The council’s Director of Public Health has been responsible for defining these measures and producing the plan in conjunction with the newly established Covid-19 Health Protection Board.
The aim of the plan is to:
- prevent the spread of COVID-19
- reduce the rate of infection
- respond rapidly to any rises in infection so that they can be contained quickly and safely
We’ll achieve this by:
- using good local knowledge
- gathering and analysing data
- recognising and responding to triggers
- testing and tracing and working with our partners
Our Local Outbreak Management Plan focuses on seven themes:
- Care homes and schools: planning for local outbreaks in care homes and schools
- High risk contexts, workplaces and communities: identifying and planning how to manage other high-risk places, locations and communities of interest
- Vulnerable people: supporting vulnerable local people to get help to self-isolate
- Testing: overseeing of local testing
- Contact tracing: assessing local and regional contact tracing and infection control in complex settings
- National, regional and local intelligence: identifying and responding quickly to outbreaks
- Engagement, communication and governance: establishing a COVID-19 health protection committee and local boards
The plan for Swindon is part of a network of plans in every local authority in England. It will be regularly reviewed as events continue to evolve and develop.
The outbreak management planning documents can be viewed below: