Guidance

Acute respiratory illness, including flu and COVID-19 in prisons

Managing acute respiratory illness (ARI) in prisons and other prescribed places of detention (PPDs) and in the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE).

Applies to England

Documents

Recommended PPE for Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) including COVID-19 for staff in prisons and community offender accommodation

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Details

The guidance for staff in prisons and other secure settings in England includes:

  • prison governors and directors
  • prison healthcare staff
  • NHS England area teams
  • UKHSA health protection teams
  • immigration removal centre healthcare teams
  • staff in secure training centres

The guidance for staff working in the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE) includes:

  • young offender institution governors and directors
  • secure children’s home managers
  • secure accommodation network staff
  • NHS England health and justice commissioners and children’s commissioners
  • secure welfare coordination unit staff
  • Youth Custody Service placement teams

The CYPSE includes 3 main types of custody:

  • young offender institutions
  • secure training centres
  • secure children’s homes

More information on each of these is available.

Updates to this page

Published 4 November 2022
Last updated 23 December 2024 + show all updates
  1. The sections on case and outbreak management have been updated to incorporate the updated PPD Outbreak Management guidance. Information on the RSV vaccination has been added.

  2. Updated ARI in PPD guidance to reflect the publication of the multi-agency contingency plan for the management of outbreaks of communicable diseases or other health protection incidents in prisons and other secure settings in England.

  3. Updated 'Managing flu, COVID-19 and other acute respiratory infections in prisons and other prescribed places of detention' and 'Preventing and managing cases and outbreaks of acute respiratory infection in the Children and Young People Secure Estate. These are in line with changes to outbreak testing from 1 April 2024.

  4. 1. Updated the guidance on Managing acute respiratory infection (ARI) in the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE). 2. Updated the guidance on Managing flu, COVID-19 and other acute respiratory infections (ARI) in prisons and other prescribed places of detention (PPDs) 3. Added the Recommended PPE for staff in prisons and community offender accomodation table as a pdf.

  5. Updated guidance on COVID-19 testing, and on flu and COVID-19 vaccination. Removed flowchart and its text version.

  6. First published.

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