Use of the NHS COVID-19 app in settings
The NHS COVID-19 app (PDF, 1.5 MB) supports the work of NHS Test and Trace by automating some aspects contact tracing. It is designed to alert people who may have been exposed to
infection so that they can act. The app is available to download for anyone aged 16 years and over, and students in years 11, 12 and 13 and staff in education settings may choose to use the app.
The Trace Function
One feature of the app is the ‘Trace’ function, which alerts an individual if they were in close contact with a confirmed case. The trace feature works in this way:
Users of the app enable Bluetooth, which anonymously assesses the distance, over time, between people who are using the app.
If an app user tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), the app will ask them to allow those that they have been in contact with to be alerted.
The app alerts relevant individuals if they have been in close contact with a positive case. ‘Close contact’ is based on an algorithm, but generally means that a person has been within 2 metres of someone for 15 minutes or more. Individuals are not informed who the positive case is.
Pausing the Trace Function
Pausing contact tracing is recommended when:
- An individual is not able to have their phone with them, for example because it is stored in a locker or communal area – this is to avoid the app picking up contacts when the individual is not with their phone.
- An individual is working behind a perspex (or equivalent) screen, fully protected from other colleagues and members of the public, as the individual is adequately protected from contracting coronavirus (COVID-19).
The app within a setting
The app is designed to complement existing guidance. Use of the app does not replace the requirement of individuals to socially distance and to report positive cases. It does not change the setting responsibility to report confirmed cases within their setting.
It is recommended that settings inform all their students, in particular those who are under 18, to inform a member of staff if they receive a notification during the day that they had been in contact with a positive case.
Ensure that staff know:
- The action to take if a student reports that they have been in close contact with a positive case.
- How to use the app within the setting and what to do if they receive a notification from the app.
Consider:
- What action they would need to take if several staff members were informed at the same time that they had been in close contact with a positive case, to ensure continuity of education.
- How the app relates to the setting’s mobile phone policies.
- Communication with students and parents about the app.
- Registering the school venue for an official NHS QR code for use by the check-in feature (PDF, 2 MB) of the app, if hosting an event with external guests, letting out the premises or if it is more effective than the existing process for recording external visitors.
The app within Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) Early Years and childcare providers
The app is designed to complement existing guidance. Use of the app does not replace the requirement of individuals to socially distance and to report positive cases. It does not change the provider responsibility to report confirmed cases within their setting.
It is recommended that providers ensure that staff know how to use the app within the setting and what to do if they receive a notification from the app.
Consider:
- What action they would need to take if several staff members were informed at the same time that they had been in close contact with a positive case, to ensure continuity of provision.
- How the app relates to the setting’s mobile phone policies.
- Communication with parents about the app.
Further information
