What should I do if I, or any of my household, have any COVID-19 symptoms?
If you have any COVID-19 symptoms (a high temperature, losing your normal sense of taste or smell, or a new / persistent cough), you should self-isolate at home. Do not go to work. You should not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Use the NHS website to ask for a coronavirus test.
Absence reporting
- If you work on site, you must follow your site’s absence reporting procedure.
- Inform your VGC line manager immediately if you become sick or you get a positive COVID test. If you are at work, contact your line manager from a position of safety. Go home as soon as you can, staying well away from anyone else.
- You should also email our HR department on hr@vgcgroup.co.uk to log this with Alice Dupree.
Get a test
If you have a symptom of coronavirus (cough, change to your sense of taste or smell, feeling very cold while you are hot to the touch), you can use the NHS website to ask for a coronavirus test.
- If the test is negative, you can go back to normal. Let VGC know before you go back to work. Send your line manager a copy of the email, text or letter that says you have a negative test result.
- If the test is positive, the NHS will give you instructions. Everyone in your household will need to self-isolate for 10 days, except for people who are under 18 and people who have had both UK COVID vaccinations more than 14 days ago.
What should I do if I have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19 symptoms?
If you live with someone else who has symptoms, you should keep away from each other as much as possible. From 16 August, you do not have to self-isolate if you have had your second COVID vaccination more than 14 days before. Remember to wash your hands carefully and regularly to avoid getting the virus.
NHS test and trace
The NHS will contact you by email, text or phone. Text messages will come from the NHS. Calls will come from 0300 0135000.
You’ll be asked to sign in to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing website at https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk.
You should always be careful of clicking on links in a website. It is safer to find the website through a separate browser search. Make sure it ends in .gov.uk
The NHS will never ask you for bank details or for passwords over the phone.
When should I contact NHS 111?
Use the NHS 111 online service if you:
- cannot cope with your symptoms at home
- your condition gets worse
- or your symptoms do not get better after 7 days.
If you are given any advice from NHS 111 that is relevant to your co-workers please email this to us at hr@vgcgroup.co.uk
Do not call NHS 111 unless you cannot get help from NHS 111 online.
Statutory sick pay
Am I entitled to any pay if I have to self-isolate?
All staff on a PAYE contract with VGC are entitled to SSP in line with the current government guidelines. Payment for absence because of self-isolation can start from day 1 of the absence period.
You will be entitled to SSP if you are self-isolating because you have been advised by
- NHS 111
- official COVID-19 guidelines
- a medical professional
- your employer.
You will be paid SSP from day one of your notification. The SSP payment is £95.85 per week.
If you are on a CIJC WRA contract of employment you may qualify for Industry Sick Pay (ISP). The existing qualifying conditions for ISP apply.
If you work through an independent contractor such as JMK or In Sync you should contact them to discuss their policies.
If you are not eligible for sick pay, and you are not working because of government advice, you can apply for Universal Credit.
How do I claim SSP for COVID-19 related absence?
You must report absence from work in the normal way through your VGC line manager. Please also email hr@vgcgroup.co.uk so they can log this.
To claim SSP, you must complete a self-certification (SC2) or alternatively the NHS form for an isolation note and forward it to hr@vgcgroup.co.uk .
SSP payments can only be processed after HR has received your completed self-certification form. SSP payments will be made into your bank account the week after receipt of the form.
You must send VGC the isolation certificate from the NHS 111 website for the full period of self-isolation.
Please remember to keep in regular contact with your VGC line manager or HR department, and send updates on any relevant advice.
We are monitoring all the official guidance and following the statutory processes. We will update this process when necessary.
Page updated 16 August 2021
