Patients with possible infection, staff illness and escalation

Support staff are often the first to spot infection risks. A patient may report a red, watery or sticky eye when booking, arrive coughing, bring used tissues, feel unwell in the practice, or report vomiting or diarrhoea. Staff can also pose a risk if they work while infectious.

What support staff should notice

• red, watery, sticky or painful eyes mentioned by a patient or observed at reception
• respiratory symptoms that could affect waiting areas, close-contact work or vulnerable patients
• vomiting or diarrhoea occurring on the premises
• used tissues, body-fluid contamination or visibly soiled surfaces
• staff who are unwell and may need to follow the practice sickness or infection policy

If you are unwell, follow your workplace sickness reporting procedures rather than working through symptoms. Vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or significant respiratory symptoms usually require manager advice before attending or continuing a shift.

What support staff should not do

Do not diagnose conjunctivitis, judge whether an eye condition is infectious, recommend treatment, change clinical urgency, or select specialist decontamination methods. Your role is to recognise a possible risk, limit immediate avoidable spread where safe, and escalate promptly to the optometrist, dispensing optician, contact lens optician, practice manager or the locally named person.

Clinical optical staff follow-on learning

Escalation that helps

Report facts: what the person said, what you observed, where they are, what they have touched, and whether immediate cleaning or patient-flow action is needed. Avoid diagnostic labels. For example, say "the patient reports a sticky red eye and has used tissues in the waiting area" rather than "this is infectious conjunctivitis".

Support staff protect patients by escalating possible infection risks early, not by making clinical judgements.