COVID-19 Flashcards
Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19
- Age and sex
- Geography
- Deprivation
- Ethnicity
- Occupation
- Inclusion health groups
- Deaths in care homes
- Comorbidities
Basic public health protection principles for homeless sector during covid
- Establish Homeless COVID-COMMAND
- Establish COVID-CARE and referral pathways
- Isolation of suspected cases
- Minimising transmission to staff and others
Basic public health protection principles for homeless sector during covid
- Establish Homeless COVID-COMMAND
- Establish COVID-CARE and referral pathways
- Isolation of suspected cases
- Minimising transmission to staff and others
Essential Functions in the Acute Phase of a pandemic
Surveillance & detection - monitor & assess
Clinical management - pt management & infection control
Prevention of spread in community - medical/non-medical counter measures
Maintaining essential services - recovery/essential services continuity
Dental Workforce Roles in Acute Response
- National – Redeployment to ICU, UDCs etc
- Dental Public Health Teams have worked extensively during the response. Roles that we
have been involved with include: - Health Protection i.e. clinical support in exposure and outbreak management. Writing resources and SOPs
- Planning and Evaluating UDCs
- Homeless Health – Oral Health Needs assessment, Planning for Flu/COVID-19
vaccinations delivery - Safeguarding – mapping the provision of support for Young Carers across London during the first National Lockdown
What was shielding?
- Designed to protect the most clinically vulnerable from serious illness
- Also to relieve pressure on NHS workers providing the most acute care
- Individuals were strongly advised to stay at home at all times and avoid all face to face contact - except for with essential carers and healthcare workers.
Consequences of shielding?
- Impact on mental health
- Impact on physical health
- Reduced physical activity
- Difficulty accessing essential items – e.g. food, medication
- Stigma
Direct effects of COVID on health?
Excess mortality
Long covid at least 12 weeks after infection, leading to limitation in day-to-day activities
Indirect effects on health?
Elective treatment extremely delayed
Why was there a disruption to elective treatment?
Not just due to additional demand
- Staff absence
- Workforce storage
- Bed capacity limited due to IPC measures
- Challenges to discharge into social care
- Changes in healthcare needs beyond traditional low length of stay, high occupancy model
Impact on mental health?
- More than 2/3 of adults in the UK report feeling somewhat or very worried about the effect COVID-19 is having on their life.
- The most common issues affecting wellbeing are worry about the future (63%), feeling stressed or anxious (56%) and feeling bored (49%)
- Decline in mental health and wellbeing – clinically significant mental health conditions amongst children had risen by 50% compared to three years earlier
What were the drivers of worsening of mental health during the pandemic?
o Social distancing and isolation
o Economic concerns and job losses
o Housing insecurity
o Working in the front-line
o Reduced access to mental health services
Impacts on oral health?
- Disproportionate impact on those living in poverty
- Food poverty (food insecurity)
- Increased consumption junk food and snacks and less fruit/vegetables amongst children during lockdown – particularly for most deprived
- Disruption to education
- Impacts on clinical care but also oral health promotion (OHP) and preventive community programmes
Risks for Impacts on Future Health
Education and lost learning
Employment and economic factors
Family finances and income
Impacts on Dental Services
- Impacts on the dental workforce and their well-being
- Pausing of dentistry and financial viability of dental practices
- Continuing need for advanced PPE for AGPs
- Fallow times
- Waiting lists including GA lists for children
- Provision of routine care – activity in NHS contracts significantly reduced
- Future of dentistry-re-orientation towards prevention and thinking of different models of care
