To report an outbreak or positive cases please contact your local Health Protection Team:

0300 303 8537, then select option 1

If calling about an ongoing outbreak or the setting has previously contacted HPT for advice, then it would be useful to have the HP zone number reference number to hand.

HPT can also be emailed eastofenglandHPT@ukhsa.gov.uk (for non-patient identifiable information)

Click here for the outbreak action checklist

Please remember to inform the provider hub assistance@hcpa.co.uk and your monitoring officer of cases and outbreaks.

For further health support, please use 999 in emergencies, or 111 for support.

To ensure health protection services remain safe and effective a layer of prioritisation is being applied to low-level outbreaks of COVID-19 by UKHSA.

What does this mean?

Outbreaks (2  or more cases) should continue to be reported to UKHSA via contact number: 0300 303 8537/ email address: EastofEnglandHPT@ukhsa.gov.uk (please do not include patient identifiable information in an email). We are confident that settings are equipped with the skills to manage the outbreak with established processes and in line with national guidance. You will receive an email response with instructions to contact UKHSA HPT if :

• Cases are showing severe presentation of illness*
• Any hospitalisation or death due to respiratory symptoms
• Operational issues
• Flu is confirmed
• Outbreak is not under control but increasing number of cases
• Any other concern

UKHSA Health Protection Team will only follow up  outbreaks where there are 3 residents or more, especially if  any of the factors mentioned above  are also present

This change will be kept under review during the winter months.

*Both NICE  & NHS England  provide definition of disease severity – Severe presentation of illness may include breathlessness, inability to complete full sentences, respiration rate >30 breaths per minute, reduced oxygen saturation level, new confusion, chills/rigor, difficult to rouse.

Reporting an Acute Respiratory infection outbreak (including COVID-19)

The New Web-based Care OBRA Tool is now available in the East of England region (Thursday 7^th March 2024).

The Tool allows Adult Social Care (ASC) settings only to report new outbreaks of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI’s) including COVID-19, Influenza (flu), unidentified ARI (e.g. chest infections) and single cases of Influenza. This tool should be used only when reporting a new outbreak of acute respiratory illness. Any updates to an ongoing outbreak should be emailed directly to eastofenglandHPT@ukhsa.gov.uk

The Care OBRA tool can be accessed here: https://forms.ukhsa.gov.uk/ReportAnOutbreak

• Click here for the IPC ARI guidance
• Click here for the ARI outbreak process
• Click here for the webinar slides from the UKHSA explaining the OBRA tool

To contact UKHSA East of England, please use the in-hours phone number for all calls 24/7 – 0300 303 8537.