A “drive-through” Covid-19 testing service is to be introduced by the NHS as the total number of people in the UK with the virus climbs to 16.
The new service, provided by Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust in Parsons Green, is part of efforts to help residents test “safely and quickly” and close to their home.
After being referred through NHS 111, people are invited to an appointment in their car, where two community nurses carry out a swab in the nose and mouth, which are checked and assessed within 72 hours.
Service users are then asked to self-isolate while checks are completed, to prevent any potential onward transmission of the virus.
NHS medical director, Professor Stephen Powis, said: “The NHS is working hard to prepare for possible service impacts and and services across the country are putting in place pragmatic, inventive and safe measures to help people get tested for coronavirus.
“It’s important that anyone who is worried about symptoms of the virus, or who has travelled to affected areas, uses NHS 111 to get advice, and as we continue to manage the outbreak and, as more people may need to self-isolate, our NHS staff will help people to deal with the virus calmly and professionally.”
Dr Joanne Medhurst, medical director for Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, added: “We’ve set up the ‘drive through’ service to make sure people in our community can get safe, convenient and quick checks for coronavirus, as part of NHS efforts to keep everyone safe.
“It’s crucial that, as a community service, we help residents in our area to get accurate, timely advice while managing extra pressure on the NHS, and so far this week we’ve had good feedback from people that the swabbing service offers reassurance at what can be a difficult time.”
The initiative comes as some 168 British nationals were among hundreds of guests being kept at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace in the south west of the Spanish island after at least four guests, including an Italian doctor, tested positive for the virus.
England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned that onward transmission between people in the UK was “just a matter of time”.
