A Shropshire healthcare provider is working with businesses across the county, helping employers to protect their workforce and keep companies running during the pandemic.
The private healthcare industry has become an important part of business recovery as pressure mounts on the NHS and antigen testing is now available for all employers.
David Edwards, sales manager at Shrewsbury-based Summerfield Healthcare, said: “Antigen testing is proving invaluable in the battle with COVID – helping firms keep staff safe and our new expanded service means the workforce of a large company can be tested regularly on-site with results known in just 15 minutes.
“The lateral flow test allows employers and managers to carry out rapid cost-effective screening and outbreak control by quickly identifying COVID infected team members within businesses, workforces, organisations, education and community groups from a simple swab.
“There is an ever-growing number of LFT Antigen tests on the market and it is important to understand they are not all the same, some are a lot more accurate than others.
“We supply the Siemens Clinitest which has Public Health England approval, is CE marked, used widely within the NHS and is proving crucial in the fight to contain the virus, preventing its spread.”
Summerfield Healthcare, which has private GP and minor surgery clinics in Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, is working with various industries UK-wide, including TV production companies, education providers, manufacturing and construction firms.
Antigens are viral proteins and rapid antigen tests are commonly used in the diagnosis of respiratory pathogens, including influenza viruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Antigen tests are immunoassays that detect the presence of a specific viral antigen, which implies current viral infection.
“The lateral flow antigen tests are already being used in the NHS and care homes as part of a Government scheme and are currently being rolled out to high-priority workplaces,” adds David.
“We are here to support those employers looking to keep their businesses operating while ensuring the safety of their employees and limiting the spread of the virus using the antigen tests.”
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