The NHS has published guidance about how employers should deal with sickness and hygiene issues in the workplace as swine flu spreads. This document can be found at the bottom of the page.
The National Pandemic Flu Service has now closed and patients are advised to call their GP instead.
Online and/or by phone, your employees can quickly check their symptoms, receive a diagnosis and get access to medicines. Anyone who is likely to have swine flu and needs antivirals will receive an authorisation number. A 'flu friend' - a friend or relative who does not have swine flu - can use this number to pick up the employee's medicines from the nearest collection point. Identification will be needed for the person who is ill and for their flu friend.
The more your employees know about how to prevent infection, the more resilient your business will be.
It's important that you and your employees continue to do everything you can to stop swine flu from spreading.
Key ways to prevent the spread of swine flu are:
- 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
- Or in short: "Catch it, bin it, kill it."
If an employee is pregnant, she can access the latest advice about pregnancy and swine flu on the NHS Choices website. She can also access pregnancy and swine flu advice on the Department of Health website.
For more information on Swine flu in the work place, or to asses the health of your business visit the Business Link website.
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Document links
| Document downloads | File Size |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader is available FREE of charge. You can download it directly from Adobe's website by clicking the link to the right. Once on Adobe's website, follow the instructions on screen to install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. |  |
| Pandemic Flu guidance for businesses (PDF) | 530KB |
Date Updated: 18/02/10