Over the weekend, the guidance for which businesses need to use the NHS Track and Trace system was updated to reflect the new legal requirement for designated venues to collect contact details and display the official NHS QR code posters.
From September 24th, 2020, not only will businesses and organisations in designated sectors do the following:
– ask at least one member of every party of customers or visitors to provide their name and contact details
– keep a record of all staff working on their premises and shift times on a given day and their contact details
– keep records of customers, visitors and staff for 21 days and provide data to NHS Test and Trace if requested
_ ahdere to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
but they must also display an official NHS QR Code poster so customers/visitors can “check in” using the NHS Track and Trace App.
Businesses within the hospitality sector (pubs, restaurants and other venues) will also be required to ensure that anyone who visits these places provides their details – either through giving their contact information or scanning the NHS QR code BEFORE they are allowed entry into the venue. If anyone chooses not to supply their information, they must be refused entry to the building. Any venues that do not comply with these regulations will be fined.
Designated venues will need to keep the contact detail records of customers, visitors and staff for 21 days and provide them to NHS Test and Trace or local public health officials when asked, if they have not been captured through the NHS QR Code.
What sectors must follow the guidance in regards to NHS Test and Trace?
All businesses/establishments (whether they are indoor, outdoor, or mobile) must abide by the guidance about collecting contact details and displaying the NHS Test and Trace QR Code and includes the following sectors:
– hospitality (including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes)
– tourism and leisure (including hotels, museums, cinemas, amusement arcades)
– close contact services (including beauticians, nail bars and salons, sports and massage therapists, tattooists, hairdressers, barbershops and tailors)
– facilities provided by local authorities (including community centres, libraries and village halls)
There is a full list of settings that must follow these guidelines here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/maintaining-records-of-staff-customers-and-visitors-to-support-nhs-test-and-trace#list-of-settings
The requirement to obtain the contact details only applies to any on-site service, so if a cafe only provides takeaway, they do not need to comply with this requirement.
What information must a venue collect?
Every customer/visitor must be asked for the following details (unless they have scanned the NHS Test and Trace QR Code):
– their name (if there is more than one person, you only need to record the name of the lead member of the group and how many people there were)
– a contact telephone number (if there is no phone number than an e-mail address can be requested, and if they don’t have an e-mail address either you can ask for a postal address
– date of visit, when they arrived, and if possible when they left
– the name of the assigned staff member
If someone chooses to use the QR Code – the venue should check their phone screen to ensure the person has correctly checked in.
If a business/venue already has a system for recording their customers and visitors – an advanced booking system – the bookkeeping system can be used as the source of information that’s needed to be collected.
The data collected must be protected as per the GDPR guidelines and you must not use the information for any other purpose than to provide the details to the NHS Test and Trace system.
You can generate your official NHS QR Poster online by going to here: https://www.gov.uk/create-coronavirus-qr-poster
There are of course some exemptions to this new requirement.
A business/venue does not need to ask for the contact details or ask that the NHS QR code be scanned if:
– the person is a police officer or emergency responder on duty:
– the person is visiting the site to make a delivery or collection of goods
– if the person is under the age of 16
– if the person doesn’t have the mental capacity to provide their contact details
What happens if you don’t comply with the new requirements?
Any business/venue that does not comply with this new requirement could face a fine starting at £1,000 for a first fixed penalty.
The full article can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/maintaining-records-of-staff-customers-and-visitors-to-support-nhs-test-and-trace
There is further information on the NHS Covid 19 page as well: https://faq.covid19.nhs.uk/category/?id=CAT-01043&parentid=CAT-01027
I am continually monitoring the updates that the government and other business-related departments release and will continue to share that information for as long as I feel that it is beneficial to all businesses in the UK.
The information and policies are continually being updated by the government, so I urge you to keep on top of the information by visiting the relevant website for your area.
UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses
Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/
Wales: https://gov.wales/business-and-employers-coronavirus
Northern Ireland: https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/
I will be trying to keep myself as informed as possible and will share relevant information on my fb business page: https://www.facebook.com/ihelmenterprises/