Trust supports community partners with staff screening programme

Date: 10 April 2020

Swabbing

Medway NHS Foundation Trust has expanded its COVID-19 screening programme for staff to include workers from other health and social care organisations in Medway and Swale to help as many key workers as possible to get tested.

Chief Executive James Devine said: “Like many hospitals and other vital services across the country, we have a number of staff who are unable to work due to self-isolation. We hope that by providing this service we can continue to manage and sustain our joint response to COVID-19.

 “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our partners in the community for their continued support in enabling our non-COVID patients to be cared for away from the hospital.” 

The screening hub at the hospital – which also includes a drive-through testing station – opened on Wednesday. In the first few hours community health workers and staff from GP practices were among those to be tested, in addition to hospital staff.

Encouraging partners to take up the offer, the hospital’s Chief Operating Officer Harvey McEnroe said: “Now more than ever it is important for us to pull together as a community. I am very pleased that we are able to offer COVID-19 testing to staff in our partner organisations.  

The service is available for staff who are self-isolating due to having COVID-19 symptoms or those who are self-isolating due to a household member having symptoms. In those cases, the symptomatic household member will be tested.

Mr McEnroe added: “COVID-19 is the biggest challenge to our health and social care system in a generation and we absolutely must work together.”

James Williams, Director of Public Health at Medway Council, said: “We are extremely pleased that Medway NHS Foundation Trust has expanded its screening programme to include our frontline workers such as social workers and care providers. We are committed to supporting Medway’s most vulnerable residents and this will help us get our dedicated staff back to work if they are self-isolating as a family member is showing symptoms of COVID-19. We will continue to work closely with our partner agencies during these unusual times.”

Helen Martin Director Operations, Clinical Quality and Nursing at Medway Community Healthcare said: “Medway Community Healthcare is pleased that this service is now available as it will greatly assist our organisation  to continue working with health and social care partners to keep patients and staff safe and well.”

  • Summary:

    Medway NHS Foundation Trust has expanded its COVID-19 screening programme for staff to include workers from other health and social care organisations in Medway and Swale to help as many key workers as possible to get tested.