THE microbiology team at Basingstoke hospital has created a national prototype for portable Covid-19 testing, which is more accurate than lateral flow tests.

The team, led by clinical scientist Stephen Kidd, has evaluated and validated the test which can give a rapid result from a saliva sample rather than a swab, making the testing experience more pleasant for the patient.

Lateral flow tests are being used by school pupils and staff to test twice a week for Covid, identifying those who do not have symptoms.

The lateral tests involve taking a sample from the tonsils and the nose, which can be an 'unpleasant' experience.

The new test being clinically evaluated at Basingstoke hospital instead uses saliva to identify those with Covid-19.

A report to Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Board of Directors, said: “The trailer lab is up and running and various staff groups are being tested through this route. The learnings are being shared nationally.”

The same microbiology team at Basingstoke hospital was celebrated last year when it became the first in the country to validate a test to detect Covid-19 in March.

They later significantly reduced the testing time down to five minutes, a ‘breakthrough’ which was said to have helped saved lives in the fight against the virus.

Nick Cortes, consultant medical microbiologist and director of infection prevention and control at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Testing for Covid-19 plays an ongoing and important part in how the NHS manages its response to the pandemic and the trust has been at the forefront of testing since the start of the pandemic, when Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital was the first district general non-PHE hospital to begin testing in-house for the virus.

“There are now three main types of test used in different situations which are available to people working in the NHS; these are PCR where swabs from an individual collected by a trained healthcare professional are analysed in a lab, lateral flow devices where swab tests are self-administered and analysed by the person doing the swab and saliva or LAMP testing where saliva samples are self-administered and then analysed in a lab.

“The microbiology team at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been involved in the clinical validation and evaluation of the saliva (LAMP) testing.

“All our staff are asked to undertake a daily check for COVID symptoms and not attend for work if they are unwell, in addition to getting tested routinely when they have no symptoms (i.e. asymptomatic) twice a week, via their lateral flow testing kits or by LAMP/saliva testing, which is increasingly being adopted as an alternative.

"Asymptomatic testing of our staff is one of a variety of measures, including but not limited to, scrupulous adherence to use of PPE and hand hygiene.  This teamed with our staff receiving the second doses of their vaccine soon ensures we continue to do all we can to keep our staff and patients safe, and reduce the possibility of transmission through asymptomatic infection.”