Why are vehicle checks important in the healthcare industry?
24 February 2026
As the summer draws to a close and people return to work and school, it is inevitable that certain illnesses may become more common. Ensure you are prepared, especially for your most vulnerable loved ones, by knowing how to get rid of a stomach bug if one enters your household.
Consuming liquids can be the most important aspect when you want to get rid of a stomach bug. Even when faced with vomiting and diarrhoea, you must keep your fluids topped up.
While water is always the preferred option, you might also want to consider using electrolyte drinks. These can help to replenish your body’s water content as well as other essential minerals lost when unwell.
This can also reduce any dizziness caused by low blood pressure from dehydration.
It’s understandable that you may feel exhausted when trying to get rid of a stomach bug, and that some or all of the things you might usually do in a day may not be achievable. However, you must ensure that you still practice good hygiene.
For those who have Healthcare Assistants come into their home, it is important that you report any and all illnesses as soon as possible. This will help to prepare your care provider, ensuring they have the correct PPE to still look after you while mitigating the risk of care staff or other clients becoming unwell.
You may feel like you don’t want to eat when unwell. This may be due to a loss of appetite or simply because you are worried about making symptoms worse.
Eating dry, bland food can help to ease your stomach and give you some much-needed energy. This could include:
You might also lack the energy to make proper meals yourself. Opting for something easy that can be microwaved or eaten cold can help to sustain you without resulting in more exhaustion.
Even when unwell you should still take prescribed medication as directed, unless your GP or other healthcare professional tells you otherwise. Your Healthcare Assistant can still help you with taking medication while you try to get rid of a stomach bug.
Should you vomit or have diarrhoea in between doses, it is important you don’t take additional medication. While there is the possibility that you may have lost the medication, you may also do a great deal of harm in taking extra. Instead, take your next dosage as normal.
You may also want to take some over the counter medication, such as paracetamol, to help with any pain or cramps that develop as a result of your illness.
It is important to note that some medications, especially oral contraceptives, may not work correctly when unwell, so additional precautions must be taken both at the time of illness and up to seven days after.
At the beginning of your illness you may not feel capable to do your daily activities. This could result in you staying home from work, a child staying home from school, and not going out. Some people feel that, as they get better, they should try to get back to normal as soon as possible.
All the guidelines state that you should stay home until 48 hours have passed since the last bout of vomiting or diarrhoea. This not only gives you adequate time to recover, but also reduces the likelihood of you still being contagious and passing the illness onto others.
Although this rule is often most heard of within schools, it is normally featured within workplace absence policies, including our own at Absolute. While this should be followed by all, it is especially important when working with or for vulnerable individuals.
If possible, and only if you feel up to it, communicate with your employer to see if you can work from home until you have recovered.
You should also only go out if essential, such as to get food or medication and have no one who can do so for you. Where possible avoid driving, especially if you feel weak or dizzy.
Rest is one of the best ways that you can help yourself to get rid of a stomach bug.
Ideally, this would see you sleeping to allow your body to break the virus down. However, not everyone wants to, or is able to, sleep for extended periods of time.
Some of the ways you can rest include:
Thinking about how to get rid of a stomach bug shouldn’t stop just because you have recovered. You may instead want to consider how you can reduce the likelihood of becoming infected again in future.
While it is impossible to completely nullify the risk of getting a stomach bug, you can take steps to protect yourself.
While we are not medical professionals in the same sense as a doctor or nurse, we can help to support you if you have a stomach bug. Your visits won’t automatically be cancelled if you are unwell, unless you request we do so.
Instead, we will take precautions in the form of additional PPE, and can still assist with:
Contact Absolute today to make sure you have the support you need, even when you’re feeling under the weather.
Verity joined Absolute in February, 2025, as our HR & Recruitment Administrator.
With a background in HR, customer service, and marketing, she has taken the lead on crafting digital content.
Outside of work, Verity enjoys woodland walks, cooking, and video games.
