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Welcome to our June 2025 Newsletter
Inadvertently overwritten with September content and to be re-composed
As autumn approaches, the challenges facing healthcare workers remain as urgent as ever. From the ongoing impact of Long Covid to the daily risks posed by poor indoor air quality, our work to raise awareness, share evidence, and provide support has never been more important.
This month, we highlight new resources on safe air, updates from our campaigns, and opportunities for you to get involved in shaping a healthier, safer future for healthcare staff and the communities they serve. Together, we continue to care for those who cared for us.
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Thank yo
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A big thank you to everyone who donated to Alison’s 60th Birthday fundraiser. The fundraiser hit its target making an amazing £1016. This will help us support healthcare workers with Long Covid. There’s still time to donate if you’d like to by clicking here.
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If you’d like to fundraise for SHH-UK you can find more information about ways of doing so here. Email info@shh-uk.org if you have any questions.
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Website update
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Over the past couple of months we’ve been working on our website. To help people understand what the charity is aiming to do, we now have an About Us page
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We are also working to make the information on our website easier to understand. If you’d like to provide some feedback please email us at info@shh-uk.org.
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Coming soon
Healthcare workers with Long Covid have told us that they’d like us to run regular online support groups. We’re delighted to let you know that we’re in the final stages of setting these up. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for details.
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A six week social media campaign highlighting our #SafeAir4All campaign will start on 21st September. During this campaign we’d be grateful if you retweeted/shared/like posts on our social media channels.
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Our #Safe Air4All Campaign
We launched our #SafeAir4All campaign in March aiming to make the invisible risk of indoor air quality visible. As mentioned above we will be running a six week social media campaign towards the end of September. Ahead of this, we’re explaining two of the key issues.
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Information about the science behind the #SafeAir4All campaign is summarised in two position statements:
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Covid is airborne
A key issue in the UK is the refusal by policy makers to acknowledge that COVID-19 is airborne – i.e. primarily spread through the air. When an infected person breathes, talks, coughs, or sneezes, they release tiny particles that can remain suspended in the air for hours, especially in poorly ventilated indoor spaces. These airborne particles can be inhaled by others and lead to infection, even when people are not in close contact.
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Recognising that COVID-19 is airborne highlights the importance of good ventilation, air filtration, mask-wearing, and other measures that reduce the build-up of virus particles indoorsThis makes COVID-19 similar to other airborne diseases, such as measles or tuberculosis. Updating UK national infection prevention and control manuals is urgently needed to reflect this. (See our Position Statement).
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Help us gather information about the indoor air quality in healthcare settings
One of the aims of our #SafeAir4All campaign is to collect data about indoor air quality in healthcare settings. To achieve this we are asking people to take photos of the readings on their CO2 monitors when visiting a healthcare setting – following a set of rules and then either upload the photo :
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To social media with the #SafeAir4All
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To our Padlet Board indicating where the photo was taken
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Remember if you don’t have a CO2 monitor, we have six that we can lend out – more information here.
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Find out more about our #SafeAir4All by clicking here.
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Below we provide some information about why we are collecting information about CO2 readings in healthcare settings. The research behind this can be found in our Position Statement on XXXX
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Why CO₂ Readings Help Estimate Indoor Air
When people breathe out, they release carbon dioxide (CO₂). In an enclosed space, CO₂ levels rise if the air is not being refreshed properly. Because CO₂ builds up in the same way that viruses and other airborne particles do, high CO₂ levels are a good signal that ventilation is poor and that the air may be less safe to breathe.
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Low CO₂ = Fresh Air → Air is being replaced often, so virus particles are less likely to linger.
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High CO₂ = Stale Air → Not enough fresh air is coming in, which means any viruses or pollutants in the room can build up.
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CO₂ monitors don’t measure viruses directly, but they give us a simple, reliable way to check whether ventilation is working well and if extra steps - like opening windows, using air filters, or wearing masks - might be needed
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What level of CO₂ indicates
good indoor air quality
CO₂ levels are widely used as a proxy for indoor air quality, especially ventilation. Guidance varies slightly, but general thresholds are:
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- Below 800 ppm → Good ventilation and good indoor air quality.
- 800–1000 ppm → Acceptable, but ventilation could be improved.
- Above 1000 ppm → Poor ventilation. Air may feel stuffy and the risk of airborne virus transmission increases.
- Above 1500 ppm → Inadequate ventilation. Action needed (increase airflow, open windows, use filtration).
📌 For healthcare and other high-risk environments, experts recommend keeping CO₂ consistently below 800 ppm to reduce infection risk.
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What can I do to improve indoor air quality
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Improving indoor air quality (IAQ) is essential for reducing the spread of infections and creating healthier environments. Practical steps include:
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Recommendation: Focus on combining ventilation, filtration, and monitoring to create safe and healthy indoor spaces.
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Great new
We are really pleased to see that the British Occupational Hygiene Society has published guidance clarifying the legal position between surgical masks and respirators in the healthcare setting.
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We have summarised the guidance on our Resources Page – click here to read.
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A presentation by David Osborn discussing the guidance can be accessed by clicking here.
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Meet our volunteers
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Amanda
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Amanda is a qualified and experienced university lecturer, researcher and manager. She has two graduate degrees, a Masters and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Amanda held senior positions in a university Faculty of Health and Social Care, tasks included writing curriculum at Honours level plus the teaching guidance for lecturers. In recent years, Amanda took early retirement due to ill health with Long Covid. She caught COVID-19 in February 2020 and was an early advocate for those with Long Covid, spreading awareness and participating in research studies. She is keen to support others with Long Covid.
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Follow us on social media
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