Update on the National Testing Programme - Keziah Halliday Incident Director, Testing cell
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Update on the National Testing Programme
Keziah Halliday
Incident Director, Testing cell
NHS England and NHS Improvement
National Testing Programme
Government testing strategy
C19 Testing Programme
• 100,000 per day by end April
• 250,000 per day thereafter
Pillar 5: Diagnostic National
Pillar 1: NHS Swab Testing Pillar 2: Commercial Swab Pillar 4: Surveillance Testing Effort
Pillar 3: Antibody Testing
Pillar Scaling up NHS swab testing Testing
Mass-antibody testing to help
Surveillance testing to learn Spearheading a Diagnostics
for those with a medical need Mass-swab testing for critical more about the disease and National Effort to build a
determine if people have
and, where possible, the most key workers in the NHS, social help develop new tests and mass-testing capacity at a
immunity to coronavirus
critical key workers care and other sectors treatments completely new scale
• 25,000 swab tests per day • 75,000 swab tests per day • Deployment of antibody • Capacity for 3,500 - 5,000 • Rapidly address potential
by the end of April by the end of April testing kits in their samples per week by end shortfalls in capacity and
millions, subject to their April supplies
Objective validation
• Thereafter enrol 16,000 to • Build a more resilient,
20,000 people who will longer term, UK based
undergo repeat testing diagnostics industry, based
over 6-12 months on modelling of medium-
term demand
Testing Supply : Identify and address supply constraints across all pillars
Data & Analytics: Provide the information required to manage the programme and our comms
Comms: Demonstrate to the public we have a plan and are implementing it
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National Testing Programme
The types of test available
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/886715/The_differences_between_coronavirus__COVID19__tests_infographic.pdf
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National Testing Programme
Swab Test for COVID-19 – Direct Viral Detection by Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (rt-PCR)
Over the past months, and in response the global Corona Virus pandemic, the National Testing Programme has enabled a rapid and
significant increase in testing capability. In Pillar 1, NHS and PHE, have created an rt-PCR/swab testing capacity of 28,000 tests per day
from a standing start.
• Since 3rd March 2020 the NHS and PHE have introduced real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (rt PCR) testing for COVID19
in 98 laboratories across 29 pathology networks, covering all 7 England regions
• Testing for NHS family staff and patients is available via the NHS and PHE pathology network system (Pillar 1) as well as
through the national gov.uk booking site (Pillar 2)
• The test indicates if a person:
• Needs to self isolate or continue to self isolate
• Can return to work – if not a contact identified via test and trace
• Needs to be retested
• Swab tests completed via the home testing or regional and mobile testing routes (Pillar 2) are processed at the
Lighthouse laboratories which are coordinated by Department of Health and Social Care and partners
• Results are communicated to the patient via text message or email.
• Testing is also now available to members of the public by DHSC via an online portal:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-for-coronavirus/ask-for-a-test-to-check-if-you-have-
coronavirus/ https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested
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National Testing Programme
• Testing is not routinely provided prior to elective procedures, self isolation for 14 days prior is advised
• To date 1.8m virology (swab) tests have been undertaken within Pillar 1 in England, of which 304,276 were
for staff or their household members
• Guidance on minimising nosocomial infections in the NHS has been produced and provides details
regarding:
• NHS Test and Trace
• Management of outbreaks
Further information can be found here regarding minimising nosocomial infections :
https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wpcontent/uploads/sites/52/2020/06/C0586-minimising-nosocomial-
infections-in-the-nhs.pdf
Social Care Testing
• Care home testing is provided by Department of Health and Social Care, via:
• ‘Satellite’ system - where kits are delivered directly to care homes and then they are couriered back to our
laboratories;
• Mobile testing units which are operated by the armed forces, which will both deliver and collect testing kits
to and from homes
• Kits can be ordered for delivery via this website link https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test-care-home
5 |National Testing Programme
Blood Test for COVID-19– Serology testing for presence of COVID19 Antibodies
Antibody testing programme is being rolled out across England. This programme will provide information on the prevalence of
COVID-19 in different regions of the country and help better understand disease spread. The science is currently uncertain and a
positive test result for antibodies only means than an individual has had COVID-19.
• Antibody testing is available to NHS (including private providers of NHS services) and Social Care staff. Rollout is being
coordinated regionally
• In excess of 600k antibody tests have been undertaken within the NHS and PHE pathology network since go-live
• The NHS testing assay for antibody testing requires a blood draw via venepuncture – this is not a blood spot test
• The laboratories and phlebotomy services have rapidly increased the testing capability with further work underway to
increase phlebotomy capacity
• Test is voluntary and consent is required. All infection prevention and control measures must continue to be in place
irrespective of the presence of antibodies
For further information on the roll out of the Antibody Testing Programme is available: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/antibody-
testing-programme-roll-out-for-nhs-staff-and-patients-letter-from-pauline-philip-and-professor-steven-powis/
6 |National Testing Programme
SIREN Study – The impact of detectable anti SARS-COV2 antibody on the incidence of COVID-19 in healthcare
workers
• Public Health England has launched a longitudinal study to determine if prior infection in health care workers confers
future immunity to re-infection. Looking for participation from at least 40 acute sites with a spread across the country
• The aim is to determine if prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in health care workers confers future immunity to re-infection
• Primary objective is - To determine whether the presence of antibody to SARS-COV2 (anti-SARS-COV2) is associated
with a reduction in the subsequent risk of re-infection over the next year
For further information email SIREN@phe.gov.uk
• Other surveillance studies in progress include:
• ONS COVID-19 Infection survey - The study will establish the level of asymptomatic infection, proportion of the population
presenting with antibodies, the strength of the antibody response and how this varies over time
• REACT-1 and REACT-2 with Ipsos MORI and Imperial College -Study to establish baseline prevalence at a presumed low
level achieved during lockdown and hence provide crucial reference data for future (repeated) surveys
• UK Biobank seroprevalence survey - The study will establish the level of asymptomatic infection, population
seroprevalence, the strength of the immune response and how this varies over time
• Care home surveys -Broad study focused on infection prevalence, transmission and mitigation factors across England
• Schools infection survey Small pilot study focusing on serology and swab tests of children and staff at 30-40 schools– to
ascertain if there is any increase in transmission during this period
• Vulnerable groups - Population specific surveillance studies into high risk settings and vulnerable groups e.g. Prisons
7 |Q&A Session 8 |
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