Guidance

Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing in extra care and supported living settings

Guidance on asymptomatic regular testing for eligible extra care and supported living (ECSL) services.

From:
UK Health Security Agency
Published
7 December 2020
Last updated
1 April 2022 — See all updates

This publication was withdrawn on

This guidance is no longer in use. Information on testing in extra care and supported living is available in the COVID-19 testing in adult social care guidance.

Applies to England

Documents

[Withdrawn] Testing in extra care and supported living settings

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Details

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is advising regular asymptomatic rapid lateral flow testing for extra care and supported living (ECSL) services in England. This is to identify any positive cases in ECSL services as early as possible to enable people to self-isolate to reduce the spread of infection and minimise outbreaks.

Staff are advised to do a daily lateral flow test everyday they are working, before starting work. In addition, residents in high-risk services are advised to test monthly with PCR. Full guidance can be found in the guidance document.

Eligible ECSL settings must meet at least 1 of 2 criteria:

  • the setting is a closed community with substantial facilities shared between multiple people
  • it is a setting where the majority of residents (more than 50%) receive the kind of personal care that is CQC-regulated (rather than help with cooking, cleaning and shopping)

ECSL settings managers can order tests online using their unique organisation number (UON). To get a UON, managers can register their eligible centre on the self-referral portal. See the guidance document on this page for further information.

See the coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care (ASC) settings page for information about each of the specific lateral flow tests, terms and conditions, and the testing privacy notice.

Updates to this page

Published 7 December 2020
Last updated 1 April 2022 + show all updates

  1. Added information regarding new COVID-19 testing in adult social care guidance.

  2. Updated to reflect changes on self-isolation guidance.

  3. Removed information on previous staff testing regimes.

  4. Updated to reflect changes in asymptomatic regular testing guidance for extra care and supported living staff.

  5. Updated to reflect the removal of confirmatory PCR after a positive LFT and updated advice on testing within 90 days of a positive result.

  6. Amended 'Testing within 90 days of a positive result' section.

  7. Updated 'Testing within 90 days of a positive result' guidance.

  8. Updated to reflect changes that coronavirus test results can now be uploaded in bulk.

  9. Added link to the 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care settings' page and updated guidance to reflect the re-activation of the self-referral portal.

  10. Temporarily removed the HTML version of 'Testing service for extra care and supported living settings'.

  11. Updated version of 'Testing service for extra care and supported living settings' PDF.

  12. Updated with detail on when more test kits can be applied for.

  13. Updated to clarify use of the Unique Organisation Number on the self-referral portal.

  14. First published.

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