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Dear students,

We are committed to keeping you informed about developments at the University. Please find below some recent updates to be aware of:

Ways to play your part

The pandemic affects us all and, as a community, we all have a duty to protect ourselves and each other through the pandemic. In September we launched Take Care. Show Care, which is a hub of information on your, and our, responsibilities.

We are confident in the steps we’ve taken to protect you on site, but we all have daily interactions with people outside these settings and it is essential for the safety of everyone that we are careful in how we manage these, on and off campus. Please play your part by not congregating or meeting in groups larger than six, wearing the appropriate face covering/PPE when required and ensuring that you maintain social distancing. This will also help mitigate the need to self-isolate should someone in your teaching group test positive.

Please also use University spaces safely, following the one-way systems, tapping your ID card whenever you can so there's a record of your movements around campus, and wiping desks and computers before you use them in common areas such as in the Library.

Additionally, please download the NHS Covid-19 App and scan QR codes where available. In line with NHS guidelines, we are currently advising students on placements, who are equivalent to healthcare workers, to pause contact tracing on the NHS Covid-19 app when they are in their placement environment.

If you do develop symptoms of Covid-19, you must self-isolate immediately and inform Student Services at coronavirusconcern@sgul.ac.uk, so they can take necessary actions and support you in self-isolating. This flow chart sets out what to do.

Cases of Covid-19 within the teaching setting

St George’s has taken appropriate measures to mitigate risks and provide Covid secure environments. Clinical teaching sessions follow NHS Clinical Covid-19 guidelines whilst other teaching sessions follow the HE guidelines issued by the Government.

Within your clinical teaching session where you may not be able to socially distance, PPE will protect you if it is worn properly and not breached. In the event of a single Covid-19 case in a teaching session and confirmation that there was no breach of PPE or guidelines, it is unlikely that you will be considered a close contact by NHS Test and Trace. However, if there is more than one confirmed Covid-19 case in a teaching session, following a risk assessment aided by the South West London Protection Team, it is likely that the whole group would be asked to self-isolate.

If you need to take time away from a clinical placement due to self-isolation or Covid-19 illness, your fitness to return to placement will be confirmed by a process involving the course teams working in collaboration with Occupational Health.

If you have to miss onsite teaching as a result of needing to self-isolate, you will be supported to catch up on your learning. Please speak to your course team if you know you will be unable to attend teaching so that the appropriate arrangements can be made.

Lockdown tier progression

The Government have introduced a lockdown tier progression plan relating to teaching provision. The University is currently operating in line with the description of tier 2 with blended learning, essential practical and face-to-face teaching and assessments happening on site following risk assessments.

Movement between tiers will be based on PHE’s assessment of risk in discussion with the University. In the future, if we are moved to tier 3, Medical and Clinical courses would continue essential practical and face-to-face teaching, and assessments. Student support services would also remain open.

If we are moved to tier 4, we would ask for clinical skills teaching to be considered as clinical placements and thus be allowed to continue. Support services would ​be maintained remotely and the physical library space would close with services continuing online. Clinical placements would continue throughout all tiers.

For more details on the lockdown tier progression plan, see the infection control section of the Government guidance here.

 

We will continue to be in touch with any updates.

Thank you.

 

 

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