670 NHS Lothian staff tested for coronavirus

A drive-through coronavirus testing facility has been set up for NHS Lothian staff to visit in Edinburgh.

Hundreds of medics have already been checked over at the Chalmers Sexual Health Centre in an effort to get them back to work sooner.

The health board says 'scores' of employees are attending appointments which determine whether personnel can avoid unnecessary absence and return to work to help bolster frontline services.

So far, 670-people - including doctors and nurses and their household contacts - have been swabbed for COVID-19 at the testing station which sends the results by text message within 48-hours.

If they have symptoms and are tested within the first 72-hours, a negative result, can end family or self-isolation and allow a return to work if they are well.

NHS Lothian saysit helps staff who are self-isolating for 14-days because of household contacts who may have symptoms.

Medical director, Dr Tracey Gillies said up to 160-staff have been tested in a day and of those around 86-per-cent had already tested negative for COVID-19.

She told Forth News: "Providing access to staff testing is critical. It not only gives our colleagues reassurance, but enables staff, if they feel well enough, to return to work.

"Across NHS Lothian, we have seen fantastic cooperation, flexibility and willingness from all our teams, and this staff testing facility really does encapsulate that.

"Every single member of staff is doing their bit and for that, I would like to say a huge thank you."

Chalmers-based members of staff have been re-deployed into other roles to help the frontline fight against the pandemic.

Dr Alastair Leckie, Director of Occupational Health Services, said the teams drew on the experience and expertise gained from drive-through patient testing which was created out of the Regional Infectious Diseases Unit at the Western General Hospital during the early days of the pandemic.

He added: "The experience we gained from our drive-through patient testing has been invaluable.

"It helped us to know what was needed to run the service, but crucially how we could make it bigger.

"Our staff have told us time and time again that they want to be at work, helping patients and supporting colleagues.

"Testing provides reassurance for staff, helping to get them back to work quicker, and reducing unnecessary periods of self-isolation.

"A monumental amount of work has taken place in a very short period of time to provide this service and we are incredibly pleased and proud to see it working. Already we are looking at how we can roll this model out to other locations."

Staff are told to report symptoms as soon as they first appear and are given an appointment at the testing centre within 72 hours.

They drive to the testing centre in the city centre and follow the signs into the facility, which is based in the car park.

They are called forward in turn and a member of the team, in protective clothing, approaches their car.

A mouth swab is taken and the staff member is told to drive home.