New rapid testing piloted at Herefordshire hospitals

County health bosses say they will be using new rapid Covid-19 testing devices at Hereford County Hospital.

Wye Valley NHS Trust bosses say they are pleased to confirm the implementation of rapid result covid-19 testing following successful trials.

The testing will be conducted using DNA Nudge with results being ready within two hours, which will support patient flow ensuring patients receive the care they need, in the most appropriate setting, swiftly.

The device can be used by anyone capable of taking a swab of the nose or throat.

The swab is placed inside a disposable blue cartridge which contains the chemicals needed for the test.

This in turn is slotted into a shoebox-sized machine to perform the analysis.

Jane Ives, trust managing director, said: “This is a great enhancement to the Trust’s current testing provision and will further improve the speed in which our patients receive the best care in the right place”.

Speaking at a trust board meeting last week, chief executive Glen Burley praised laboratory teams for their performance in responding to the demands of testing for Covid-19.

“We’ve been notified that we are going to be piloting a new more rapid testing solution at Wye Valley that will help that even further,” he said.

“We’ve rolled out lateral flow testing to staff and we’ve significantly ramped up the ability to provide rapid testing to patients.”

Categories:

 Coronavirus