It is important that we protect all patients and NHS healthcare workers, vaccinated or not, by ensuring that all NHS healthcare workers continue to maintain regular asymptomatic testing and keep following infection prevention and control guidance to stop onward transmission.
Around 9 in 10 NHS healthcare workers have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, however, there are thousands of people, including staff working in patient-facing NHS roles that will not have been vaccinated. Lateral flow device tests are the most commonly used COVID-19 test and all healthcare workers have been provided with kits to test themselves twice a week at home.
Carrying out a lateral flow test is strongly encouraged but not mandated, however, reporting the results (positive, negative and invalid) is a statutory requirement for a notifiable virus. Any positive lateral flow tests must be followed by a confirmatory PCR test.
Please continue to encourage your primary care teams to regularly perform lateral flow device tests for asymptomatic staff, to ensure all patients and staff are protected.