COVID-19 General Guidance & Resources

Guidance for COVID-19 testing and vaccination in homelessness settings (as of March 2024)

Testing

• From April 2024 onwards, the UKHSA will no longer supply free COVID-19 Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests to settings in England for use in the event of a suspected outbreak of COVID-19. (An outbreak is defined as 2 or more linked cases of COVID-19 within 14 days.)
• Due to infection, prevention, and control measures as well as access to COVID-19 Treatments, all suspected COVID-19 outbreaks will now be managed like other acute respiratory infections.
• Where appropriate, homelessness services should contact Health Protection Teams or other local partners who may, as part of outbreak management, undertake a risk assessment to advise whether testing using PCR tests is required.

• The only exception to this is for individuals eligible for COVID-19 treatment who will continue to be eligible for free LFD tests.
• These LFD tests will be provided by the NHS and are available from your local pharmacy.

More guidance on COVID-19 can be found on the government website.

Vaccination

• Both the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccination and the first booster remain available. For more information about the vaccine and for ways to support vaccine uptake, see our toolkit.
• Vaccination can be offered to people without an NHS number and those who are not registered with a GP.
• In Spring 2024, a COVID-19 vaccine will be offered to adults aged 75 years and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and individuals aged over 6 months who are immunosuppressed (as defined in tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book)

Further Advice and Resources

• The Operating Principles for Night Shelters sets out advice on how night shelters can operate more safely.
• Homeless Link’s SWEP and Winter Provision guidance and Vaccine Toolkit provide more related information to support frontline organisations.
• Groundswell’s COVID-19 resources include short accessible guides, leaflets, posters and films for people experiencing homelessness and frontline workers.
• The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has an information hub on data protection and COVID-19 data.
• Doctors of the World have tools and resources for improving vaccine confidence.