COVID support for Business
Please visit information on the National Guidance page which outlines current details on restrictions, key rules and guidance and there is help and support if your business is affected by COVID-19 on the GOV.UK website.
We can offer signposting support for testing and vaccinations and have links to various business support provision, such as grants and fully-funded training (subject to eligibility) to help grow and diversify your business. Please visit Funding - Now's Your Time to Grow and Thrive - Staffordshire County Council for more information.
By actively engaging in the following activities, you can keep your employees as safe as possible, reduce the risk of transmission and keep your business operational:
- Continue to engage with the Test, Trace and Isolate process and increase testing if your workplace has had an outbreak.
- Encourage your employees to get vaccinated
- Continue to adhere to COVID-19 working safely guidance, including undertaking regular COVID risk assessments along with the provision of washing facilities and proper ventilation with external fresh air.
- keeping workplaces safe, is a useful guide on completing a risk assessment, ventilation, face coverings, cleaning and hygiene.
Businesses have a legal duty to manage risks to those affected by their business, including that of COVID-19. All businesses must ensure that they have an up-to-date health and safety risk assessment, to include the risk of COVID-19 in their workplace and take reasonable steps to mitigate the risks that are identified.
Lateral flow testing
Regular asymptomatic testing remains a beneficial element of COVID-19 response and recovery, alongside the deployment of the vaccination programme. By testing when you’re more likely to catch or spread COVID (for instance, do a test before you mix with people in crowded indoor places), we can identify more people who have the virus and need to self-isolate, which in turn stops the spread of the virus and reduces the number of cases.
We are currently responding to a high volume of requests on an ad-hoc basis. Please complete the
enquiry form and a member of the team will be in contact as soon as possible.
For businesses with less than 30 employees, we suggest they are directed to get a supply of lateral flow tests to do at home. There are lots of options to suit you and your employees
If you have any questions or would like to talk through your options and gain some support, please email COVIDsupport4businesses@staffordshire.gov.uk or contact:
If your business is experiencing a COVID outbreak, please complete the following outbreak reporting form and a local environmental health officer will be in touch to offer support: Test and Trace - Staffordshire County Council
Do not use a rapid lateral flow test or go to a test site if you or your employees have symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should order a PCR test and stay at home.
Vaccination support
The faster your staff and volunteers get their first vaccine, the sooner they can get their second. This means employers and workforces will also benefit from:
- Fewer staff sick days, including those due to Long COVID
- Fewer COVID-positive tests, so less time off for self-isolation
First, second and booster doses are now being offered across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. Multiple clinics are opening to deliver vaccines in our area, with people able to choose to drop in or book an appointment either online or by calling NHS 119.
There are a number of downloadable resources available here which you may find helpful to start the conversation with your employees. This includes a vaccines Q&A document and expert advice videos to explain the vaccine and answer common questions employees may have.
Please urge staff to be cautious of misinformation and encourage them to use trusted sources like the NHS website if they are searching for information or answers to questions about the vaccine.
For SCC further information, including advice in other languages please visit COVID-19 vaccine - Staffordshire County Council
Ventilation guidance for businesses
- Alongside cleaning, hygiene and handwashing, good ventilation is one of the best ways to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has updated new ventilation guidance and videos, setting out key advice and examples to help councils and businesses identify poor ventilation in work areas and take practical steps to improve it.
- We recently ran a virtual ventilation workshop, and the slides can be found here.
- It is a legal requirement for employers to ensure an adequate supply of fresh air (ventilation) in enclosed areas of the workplace
- The HSE has also revised the guidance on balancing ventilation and keeping warm.