RCGP RSC COVID-19 Observatory and Coding Guidelines

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, we have been working closely with Public Health England (PHE) and other national bodies to closely monitor and make plans to deal with any situation that may develop in the UK. A vital part of that will be to monitor the number of suspected COVID-19 cases in the community in a timely way. PHE has commissioned the RCGP Research Surveillance Centre to incorporate monitoring of COVID-19 into its virology surveillance scheme.

Please also refer to local guidance:

England Wales Scotland Northen Ireland

Visit the Center of Evidence-Based Medicine web page for evidence synthesis and dissemination to support the current COVID-19 pandemic

RCGP RSC COVID-19 Observatory

We now have an observatory to track Coronavirus (COVID-19, also known as 2019-nCov).
For this observatory to work, it is vital that practices code information correctly. Please see further details about coding below.

COVID-19 Observatory (Weekly return)

RCGP RSC Mortality Observatory

Mortality Observatory (Weekly return)

RCGP RSC virology sampling practices

Please follow the advice as outlined above.

Sampling will continue as usual in patients presenting with influenza-like illness (ILI) and acute bronchitis or bronchiolitis symptoms in under 5 year olds.

We have now extended this to include Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTI).

Please ensure patients exhibiting these symptoms, are swabbed within 7 days of onset, and ensure LRTI or symptoms are added as free text in ‘other comments’ on the PHE lab form.

N.B. Practices should only be sampling from low risk patients they would be seeing anyway. Practice teams should be signposting people who have returned from overseas travel to high risk areas or who have been in contact with Covid-19 cases to NHS111.

The goal of our surveillance is to detect background spread to apparently low risk patients. Detecting this virus (which would otherwise have been missed) should result in making things safer for your practice, the patient sampled and their household, than would otherwise have been the case.

Prompt cards for Virology Practices (MS Word format)

Triage prompt card for self-swabbing (MS Word format)

Coronavirus (Covid-19): Recording essential information in General Practice – advice for all general practices – including all RCGP RSC general practices

In early February 2020 new terms were added to all general practice computerised medical record (CMR) systems to support the recording of data relevant to COVID-19.

We would recommend that everyone involved in recording information relating to COVID-19 in computerised medical records (eg. EMIS, Systm One, Vision) should follow the advice below. Note that depending on the system that you use, the entry of ‘Influenza like illness’ may trigger a template to help you to do this:

If patient is suspected of having Coronavirus select and enter the term: Suspected 2019-nCoV (Wuhan) infection
Please ask if they have been abroad in the last 28 days.

If yes, select and enter: History of foreign travel
Then select and enter the actual countries they have visited.

If patient has had contact with, or been exposed to, a person with Coronavirus select and enter the term : Exposure to 2019-nCoV (Wuhan) infection
Where a patient is self-isolating please select and enter the term: [V]Need for isolation and other prophylactic measures
If patient has been referred for testing please select and enter the term: Tested for 2019-nCoV (Wuhan) infection
If patient has confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection for example with a positive test result please select and enter the term: Confirmed 2019-nCoV (Wuhan) infection
If the test results for a patient are returned as negative then please select and enter the term: Excluded 2019-nCoV (Wuhan) infection

COVID-19 dashboard for RCGP RSC Practices can be accessed through the My Practice Dashboard

Prompt cards for RCGP RSC Practices (MS Word format)

Recording essential information in General Practice – advice for all general practices – including all RCGP RSC general practices

Our guidelines for recording essential information related to COVID-19 can be downloaded below.

COVID-19 clinical flowchart with optimal SNOMED-CT codes

PROMPT CARD 1: Covid-19 coding advice for reception/triage team

PROMPT CARD 2: Advice for staff responsible for Covid-19 coding

PROMPT CARD 3: Coding for Covid-19 outcomes

Further advice published in BJGP Open:

To monitor the COVID-19 pandemic we need better quality primary care data. Simon de Lusignan, John Williams - 16 Apr 2020

In ENGLAND, NHSE have now set up a PPE supply and distribution helpline. If you are experiencing shortages then you can contact 0800 915 9964 /0191 283 6543 or email: supplydisruptionservice@nhsbsa.nhs.uk this service is operating 24/7.

FAQs related to COVID-19 Surveillance

If you have any questions, please check our FAQs prior to emailing the PLO team.

Ordering materials

We are no longer able to receive material requests through the PLO email account.

Could you kindly order materials using the link below, and ensure all fields are complete.

Order materials

COVID-19 ontology

Status	Semantic tag	SNOMED CT ConceptID	Term
Definite	Clinical finding	1240581000000104	SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) detected
Definite	Situation	1300721000000109	COVID-19 confirmed by laboratory test
Definite	Substance	1240391000000107	Antigen of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Definite	Substance	1240411000000107	Ribonucleic acid of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Probable	Disorder	1240751000000100	COVID-19
Probable	Situation	1300731000000106	COVID-19 confirmed using clinical diagnostic criteria
Probable	Disorder	1240561000000108	Encephalopathy caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)
Probable	Disorder	1240571000000101	Gastroenteritis caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (disorder)
Probable	Disorder	1240531000000103	Myocarditis caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)
Probable	Disorder	1240521000000100	Otitis media caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)
Probable	Disorder	1240551000000105	Pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)
Probable	Disorder	1240541000000107	Infection of upper respiratory tract caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (disorder)
Probable	Disorder	186747009	Coronavirus infection
Possible	Situation	1240761000000102	Suspected COVID-19
Possible	procedure	1240451000000106	Telephone consultation for suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Possible	Situation	700217006	Suspected coronavirus infection
Possible	Event	1240431000000104	Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection
Possible	Event	1240441000000108	Close exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection
Possible	Procedure	1240471000000102	Measurement of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antigen
Possible	Procedure	1240511000000106	Detection of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) using polymerase chain reaction technique
Possible	Procedure	1320971000000102	Taking of swab for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)
Possible	Situation	1321031000000105	Self-taken swab for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) completed
Possible	Situation	1321041000000101	Self-taken swab for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) offered
Possible	Situation	1321051000000103	Swab for SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) taken by healthcare professional
Excluded	Clinical finding	1240591000000102	SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) not detected
Excluded	Situation	1321111000000101	COVID-19 excluded by laboratory test
Excluded	Situation	1321101000000103	COVID-19 excluded
Excluded	Situation	1321121000000107	COVID-19 excluded using clinical diagnostic criteria