Rapid Covid tests – an absolute game-changer for care homes….

Springfield Healthcare are proud to be one of the four care homes assisting in this care home COVID testing research project mentioned by BBC News (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54843815). We have been working with NICHE at Leeds University and Prof Adam Gordon at Nottingham University towards being able to facilitate safe visiting for our residents and their families.

Seacroft Grange Care Village, one of Springfield Healthcare’s Leeds care homes, offering residential care, nursing care and dementia care, has made significant contributions to this important research. With grateful thanks to Springfield’s Chief Nursing Officer, Cyd Akrill whose passion, dedication and determination to improve the lives of our residents is an inspiration. Cyd facilitates all of the research opportunities, working tirelessly with a small team to make a big difference. She said “We are very proud to have taken part in this COVID testing research project which will benefit so many people in the care sector and ultimately aims to improve residents’ wellbeing through increased possibilities for visiting and activities in the homes.”

Prof Adam Gordon, who is president-elect of the British Geriatric Society, says care home staff have found the technology relatively easy to use, with a very low error rate. He said “This test works at least as well in care homes as it does in other settings. And it could be a game-changer for the vulnerable people who live here.”

Video: (Charde Billany, Research Co-ordinator (Springfield Care Villages)) conducting the testing