Guidance

Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for anyone working in adult social care who is not part of regular testing at work

How anyone working in adult social care in England who is not part of a regular testing regime at work can access daily COVID-19 testing.

From:
UK Health Security Agency
Published
16 February 2021
Last updated
1 April 2022 — See all updates

This guidance was withdrawn on

For more details on testing in adult social care, see new COVID-19 testing in adult social care guidance.

Applies to England

Who this applies to

This guidance applies to anyone working in adult social care who is not part of regular testing at work.

You should continuously order enough boxes of rapid lateral flow tests (LFTs) to test every day that you are working before you begin work. Alternatively, an employer can order test kits on your behalf.

Summary of testing

You should order boxes of LFTs to have enough to test every day that you are working, or an employer can order test kits on your behalf

  • tests will be delivered to your selected delivery address for you to test daily
  • you should take a test every day that you are working, before you start work, and report the results online. If you are a live with the person you provide care and support to, conduct daily LFTs as close to the beginning of the day as possible and 24 hours apart. All results must be registered whether negative, positive, or void
  • you can view your result within 30 minutes of conducting the test
  • if you receive a positive LFT result, follow the management of staff and exposed residents guidance

If you have any queries with any of the steps please call the national COVID-19 contact centre on 119.

Why testing is important

Testing is important because it:

  • identifies whether you are likely to have COVID-19 so you can stay at home if positive
  • reduces the risk of those receiving care contracting the virus from those who care for them
  • prevents and controls the spread of the virus by identifying asymptomatic cases

Eligibility

You’re eligible if you work in adult social care and are not part of regular testing at work, for example Shared Lives carers, personal assistants, and social workers.

If you believe you match these criteria, follow the guidance below on ordering test kits. Please call 119 if you require any assistance.

Please do not access tests through this route if you are already part of a regular testing regime at work, detailed in the testing for adult social care settings guidance.

Summary of your involvement

When accessing testing, your main responsibilities are to:

  • continuously order boxes of LFTs for yourself, to be able to test every day you are working
  • conduct daily LFTs on the days you are working before you begin work or if you live with the person you provide care and support to, conduct daily LFTs as close to the beginning of the day as possible and 24 hours apart
  • register your test results as soon as you have completed them
  • if you get a positive result, follow the management of staff and exposed residents guidance
  • if you get a negative result, continue to follow infection prevention and control (IPC) measures such as wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), washing your hands, and socially distancing where possible, even if you or the people you care for have had the vaccine

Step-by-step guide

Ordering test kits

Anyone working in adult social care who is not receiving regular testing are responsible for ordering test kits. You can choose which address they are delivered to.

Once you have placed an order, you’ll receive a confirmatory email.

If you have any issues with any of the steps test kits, please call the national COVID-19 contact centre on 119.

Preparing and undertaking the test

Test kits are typically delivered within 48 hours.

Before testing be sure to:

  • read this guidance
  • read guidance included with your test kit

You should continue testing regardless of vaccination status.

Reading test results

All test results must be reported online whether they are positive, negative or void. You need to use this service every time you complete a self-test.

To register a test kit:

  1. Go to Report a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test result.

  2. Select who you are reporting the result for, either ‘Myself’ or ‘Someone else’.

  3. Create an account (you will only have to do this once and it will remember your personal details for when you have to register test results each time).

  4. Select ‘It’s for a social care service’ when asked who the test was for.

  5. Select ‘I work in a social care but did not receive my tests from my organisation’

  6. Select the date you’ll take the COVID-19 test. If you’ve already taken the COVID-19 test, tell us the data and time you took it.

  7. Enter or scan your test ID number. You will find the ID number under the QR code on the LFT.

  8. Enter personal details:
    • name
    • date of birth
  9. Enter your contact details:
    • email address
    • mobile number

  10. Select the result of the test (‘positive’, ‘negative’ or ‘invalid’).

  11. Check your answers.

  12. Receive confirmation of registration via email.

If you cannot register test kits online, you can either:

  • call 119 and select option 1
  • have someone else register on your behalf (provided they have written consent to do so and can obtain personal details required to complete the form)

Receiving results

When receiving results:

  • whether you create a user account or not, notifications of your result will be sent to you via SMS or e-mail
  • your employer may ask to see your SMS or e-mail results as part of their tracking system
  • if you receive a positive LFT result, follow the management of staff and exposed residents guidance

Testing within 90 days of a positive result

If you have tested positive with an LFT or PCR test, the testing you undertake in the following 90 days may be different. Full guidance on what testing to undertake within 90 days of a positive PCR or LFT result can be found in the management of staff and exposed residents guidance.

Financial support

You may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you have to stay at home because you have tested positive for COVID-19 or are unwell. SSP is paid from the date you are advised to stay at home. You will need to speak to your individual employer.

Local authorities, at their discretion, may also meet the costs of staff staying at home through the Infection Control and Testing Fund (ICTF).

Find your local authority contact details for social care support.

COVID-19 testing contact centre: call 119 (lines are open from 7am to 11pm daily)

Updates to this page

Published 16 February 2021
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 to rules around self-isolation.

  3. Updated to reflect changes in asymptomatic regular testing guidance for adult social care workers who are not part of a regular testing regime.

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

  5. Updated to make the page more generic and not related to personal assistants​.

  6. Anyone working in adult social care who is not receiving regular testing in England can access twice-weekly COVID-19 testing.

  7. Added link to the 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for adult social care settings' page.

  8. Updated to reflect the policy change for personal assistants to conduct 2 LFTs a week and not to test with PCR unless to use for a confirmatory PCR following a positive LFT.

  9. First published.

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