Throughout March, the Trust had relied on its partners at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to undertake testing for patients, however with limited capacity, this meant that around 50 swabs were taken daily. This new development means that the organisation will more than double its ability to uncover or rule out cases of the fast-spreading illness.
The Covid-19 test is able to detect the virus by analysing samples obtained on extra-long cotton buds that are inserted up the nose or into the back of the throat. Specialists, like those from DBTH’s resident microbiology and laboratory teams, can then process the result using real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techniques – a scientific method which creates a large amount of copies of a specific sample, amplify it and study in it detail. In all, the process takes a few hours to confirm whether the swab is either positive or negative.
This facility is now available at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, as well as for colleagues at both Montagu and Bassetlaw Hospitals, with there being enough capacity to perform up to 100 test each and every day. Testing is also available for colleagues who become symptomatic, and also in some cases, their families. This allows the Trust to rapidly diagnose those who must stay at home and self-isolate, as well as clear those who are able to come in to work safely and continue to deliver high quality care.
Speaking about the news Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive at the Trust, said: ‘’We are thrilled to announce that on-site swab analysis is now available to our colleagues. One of the challenges in the fight against Coronavirus has been reduced staffing levels, as anyone with a suspected case of the infection must self-isolate as a precautionary measure.
“Now that we can deliver in-house testing and analysis, using a nationally recognised and highly reliable method, we are able to obtain the result more quickly and staff can be confident if they need to self-isolate, or if they are able to safely return to work to continue to help us save lives.”
On-site testing began at the Trust last week, with hundreds of patients and NHS workers already swabbed and tested for the Covid-19.