NHS Providers is calling for urgent, clear, public communication of a single national approach on NHS infection control measures to provide clarity for staff, patients and the public.

Given the widely publicised changes, including the transfer of responsibility for setting rules on these issues to individual organisations, NHS Providers say that it is vital that there is a single, uniform NHS approach, avoiding any room for confusion and this needs clear, rapid, communication.

NHS Providers has also urged the government and national NHS leaders to also state unequivocally that there will be a zero tolerance approach to breaking the rules or abuse of NHS staff trying to enforce them.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: "The risk of catching Covid-19 in healthcare settings is significant, particularly with a delta variant that is 60 per cent more infectious than the previously dominant alpha variant. That's why trusts have worked so hard to ensure appropriate infection control which is just as important as it ever was. Particularly as the numbers of Covid-19 admissions, driven by the current surge in infections, increases.

"Frontline NHS care is provided by 213 different acute, community, ambulance and mental health trusts, thousands of different GP surgeries and many other providers. It's vital that there is a single, uniform, approach across all these different healthcare settings so there is no room for confusion. Trust leaders are therefore calling on the government and national public health and NHS leaders to clearly communicate what the NHS approach to infection control is, so every member of the public and NHS staff knows where they stand.”