Supervised Covid tests available at some Hampshire pharmacies
You can also collect kits to use at home from participating pharmacies across the county and at some in Wiltshire
From today 26 April, Hampshire residents without symptoms can access free supervised testing, or collect kits to self-test at home, from participating pharmacies across the county.
In Hampshire, over 200 pharmacies are providing the national collect scheme.
COLLECTING KITS FROM PHARMACIES
- Anyone over the age of 18 can collect test kits from participating pharmacies for themselves and their families to use at home.
- You can collect 1 pack per person of 7 lateral flow device tests.
- There is no need to book an appointment.
- Testing should be done twice a week. It is important to record the result.
- Step-by-step instructions are included with the test kit. A video demonstration and alternative language versions are available online. You can also call 119 and request a translation service.
To find the location of your nearest pharmacy offering test kit collection, check the NHS site finder map
A select number of pharmacies are also offering collection points for the lateral flow tests in Wiltshire too.
SUPERVISED LATERAL FLOW TESTS
40 Hampshire pharmacies will also be offering on-site supervised lateral flow testing.
This is a drop-in service but anyone wishing to have a supervised test is advised to phone ahead where possible, to enable pharmacy staff to schedule appointments and reduce waiting times.
- Anyone over the age of 12 can drop-in to a participating pharmacy for a supervised lateral flow device test. If you are aged between 12 and 15 years old you will need to attend with a parent or guardian.
- This is a drop-in service, however you are encouraged to call the pharmacy in advance of your visit to book an appointment where possible.
- There is a short registration process. Please remember to bring your mobile phone, as well as glasses or any other visual aid you will need to complete this.
- The test involves a swab of the throat and nose. and should be done twice a week.
- Results will be provided via text.
Details of pharmacies in Hampshire offering supervised lateral flow tests including in Andover and Ringwood are available on the County Council’s website.
From the 1st of May when the new pharmacy system is fully established community testing sites in Hampshire will stop offering supervised lateral flow testing and test kit collection instead focusing on symptomatic testing.
Anyone with symptoms of coronavirus must book a PCR test or call 119.
WHY TESTING IS SO IMPORTANT
The County Council’s Director of Public Health, Simon Bryant, said:
"Regular, twice weekly testing is encouraged for everyone without symptoms, to help us identify more positive cases and break chains of transmission – helping us to get back to a more normal way of life. Rapid testing on a regular basis gives us all peace of mind that we are not putting our family, friends, co-workers or communities at risk, and pharmacies offer a quick and convenient means of getting a test or collecting a kit to self-test at home. Make test-record-repeat part of your weekly routine to help suppress the spread of the virus and protect the people around you."
"I would remind everyone that a positive result from a lateral flow test means you must follow self-isolation guidance and book a follow-up PCR test as soon as possible. If you have a negative result from a lateral flow test, you must still follow ‘hands, face, space’ guidance. Alongside the COVID vaccine, these basic behaviours and regular testing are the most effective ways of keeping infection rates down and getting us safely on the road to a summer of freedoms."
ARE THERE ANY SUPERVISED SITES IN WILTSHIRE?
Not at a pharmacy no, but you can get help at Devizes Leisure Centre.
Again that's only for people without symptoms and you must book an appointment.
You can find out more here: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/public-health-coronavirus-testing