COVID-19: Treatment for older people in the community

Published date

21 January 2021

Last updated

26 January 2021

Authors

British Geriatrics Society

Topic tags

Primary and Community Care

Prescribing and medication management

COVID-19

This page brings together guidance and practical advice for the management of older adults with COVID-19 in the community, including drug treatment and examples of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

A consensus statement written by a Task and Finish Group convened by Dr Adrian Hayter, National Clinical Director for Older People and Integrated Person Centred Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement. (Shared with permission of Dr Hayter pending official release by NHS England).

Click here to read the consensus statement on Drug Treatment in Community Settings for COVID-19 patients

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This letter from Matthew Winn (Director of Community Health at NHS England and NHS Improvement) sets out three schemes that systems in England can immediately implement for discharging people home from hospital, including use of hotel accommodation; use of independent sector providers for hospital at home services; and time limited indemnity cover to the small number of designated care home facilities that need this support.

Read the letter from NHSE/I (dated 20 January 2021)

Guidance: Discharge into care homes: designated settings - Public Health England

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This SOP sets out the Kent and Medway position on community treatments for COVID-19 in adults, written by Dr Shelagh O'Riordan. It is intended to reflect the growing national consensus on the evidence, and outlines the principles that should inform the clinical decision to initiate and monitor a treatment pathway, as well as guidance on prescribing and identifying indicators that a treatment should be stopped. This document includes considerations of the risks and benefits of these pathways and the potential ethical issues related to the rapid introduction of these treatments.