NHS staff in England to receive Covid-19 tests twice a week

Asymptomatic NHS staff in England are to receive Covid-19 tests twice a week, the health service has confirmed.

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, confirmed the health service will introduce testing for patient-facing employees twice weekly.

In a letter to Jeremy Hunt, chairman of the Health and Social Care Committee, Prof Powis said the tests will initially be given to 250,000 staff across 34 NHS trusts, with a full rollout expected by the end of next week.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Routine testing of NHS staff is already taking place in the hardest-hit areas.

Patient-facing NHS staff in England will be tested for Covid-19 twice a week (Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)Patient-facing NHS staff in England will be tested for Covid-19 twice a week (Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
Patient-facing NHS staff in England will be tested for Covid-19 twice a week (Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

Prof Powis wrote: “Following further scientific validation of the lateral flow testing modality last week, and confirmation over the weekend from Test and Trace that they can now supply the NHS with sufficient test kits, I am pleased to confirm asymptomatic testing of all patient-facing NHS staff.

“The first 34 trusts will deploy this technology this week, benefiting over 250,000 staff, and full rollout should be in place by the end of next week.

“Staff will be asked to test themselves at home twice a week with results available before coming into work.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Lateral flow devices have a lower specificity and sensitivity than PCR tests.

“Testing twice weekly helps mitigate the sensitivity considerations, and to mitigate the lower specificity all positive results will be retested via PCR.

“As you know, this builds on the extensive asymptomatic staff testing already occurring in parts of the country with outbreaks – over 70,000 NHS staff have been tested asymptomatically in those areas in recent days.

“In addition, as previously notified, NHS trusts will continue to use their own PCR lab capacity for appropriate staff testing, and LAMP saliva testing is being made available to hospitals by Test and Trace in November and December.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice