COVID19 Antibody Testing Programme Briefing pack for Dentists

COVID-19 Antibody Testing Programme Briefing pack for Dentists and Pharmacists November 2020 v 1 This document will be updated throughout the programme, and shared with its audience

COVID-19 Antibody testing The NHS has been asked to offer COVID-19 antibody testing to care home staff, domiciliary staff and are now opening up this service to dentists and pharmacists. The purpose of this briefing pack is to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of this service. Further iterations of this pack will be shared frequently in the coming weeks, as the service evolves and new service enhancements are announced, and FAQ additions are incorporated This pack will include: 1. Introduction to the COVID-19 Antibody Testing Service 2. How to register for an Antibody Test 3. FAQs 4. Poster for local venues (Final Page)

Introduction: The COVID-19 Antibody Testing Service Dear Colleagues, The NHS has been asked to offer COVID-19 antibody testing to care home staff, domiciliary staff and are now opening up this service to dentists and pharmacists. This service is being delivered by Partnering Health Limited on behalf of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Why we are doing antibody tests? What is the reason for having an antibody test? We are offering this test as we know that many people will be interested to know whether they have had COVID-19 in the past. The test forms part of a regional study programme led by NHS England, and the results will provide more detailed knowledge about how widely the infection has spread across the country. It is important to stress that this is voluntary and not a requirement or compulsory. The antibody test for COVID-19 is accurate in determining if there is evidence of past infection in your blood. When antibodies are detected it almost certainly means you have been infected with the virus. However, there is not currently enough evidence to confirm whether having antibodies against COVID-19 will protect you against the infection in the future. Therefore, it is vital that everyone continues to follow infection prevention and control and social distancing protocols whatever their antibody test result.

Introduction: The COVID-19 Antibody Testing Service Access to antibody testing You will be able to access antibody testing by attending clinic appointments at locations across Hampshire Clinic Appointments A trained phlebotomist will hold a clinic at various times and locations across Hampshire each week. Appointments can be booked via contacting the PHL call centre. These sessions will be during the evening and weekends in the following towns: • Portsmouth • Winchester • Ringwood • Basingstoke and Southampton - coming soon *clinic frequency and times vary from site to site

Introduction: The COVID-19 Antibody Testing Service When will the testing begin? The clinics are available to attend now, and will last for the remainder of the year and into early January 2021. The times and frequency of the clinics will vary from site to site, with some sites coming on line further into the programme. How do staff apply? The PHL call centre is open to receive your call. You can contact this team by phone, and they will ask you for specific information which will be required in order to book your test. Your referral into the lab will then be processed, and will be matched with your blood sample when this is taken at your appointment by one of our clinical team. Where can I find out the test results? A text will be sent directly to an individuals mobile phone from the labs, to advise of their test result. This will usually take between 3 -5 working days. This time range may change dependant upon demand.

How to register for an Antibody Test Clinic Appointment 1. The PHL call centre can be contacted on 0333 006 9584 2. The call centre will be open Monday to Friday 9 -5 3. Staff will be asked to provide: Name DOB Role Mobile Number GP Surgery NHS Number Ethnicity 4. The contact centre team member will then list your options for the next available clinic appointment at your preferred location and subsequently process the referral into the clinical systems 5. When attending your blood test, staff should present a photo ID (either their staff ID or passport/driving license). A nurse will then record consent and take a small amount of blood before sending it off for analysis.

FAQs – Antibody testing questions What is the phone number for staff to use to contact PHL to book their face to face clinic appointment? 0333 006 9584 I need to cancel or rearrange my appointment. What do I do? Please call our team on 0333 006 9584. I have not had my result. What do I do? Please call our team who will see if anything has been sent from the lab and check for mobile number for accuracy in the system I do not have a mobile. What do I do? A mobile number must be provided in order to receive the test result I am not registered with a GP practice. Can I still take the test? Please note in order to register for the Antibody testing you would need to be registered with a GP and have access to your NHS number before starting the following process. You can register with a local GP by making contact directly with the GP surgery

FAQs – Antibody testing questions What ID do I need to show on the day? A staff photographic ID badge or appropriate alternative such as a passport, or driving license. Is my personal data secure? All personal data processed by PHL will be held within our internal EMIS clinical system for appointment booking and pathology referral processes only. This data will not be shared with any other organisation except the path labs, who will process your sample and text your result directly to your mobile number. PHL’s clinical applications are hosted over a secure HSCN (Health and Social Care Network) connection We will use the data you supply to arrange for you to receive antibody test at one of our testing sites. The results of your test will be communicated to you and your employer. The results will not go on the employment record. However, your GP Practice will be able to access the result should these be required by them for your care and treatment. Data gathered during the antibody testing programme will also be securely transferred to a central database which is held and controlled by NHS England. All information in this database is held securely, and access to this information is tightly governed, in line with Data Protection requirements. The anonymised results from the testing programme will be used to undertake research which will provide information on the prevalence of COVID-19 in different regions of the country and help us better understand how the disease spreads.

FAQs – Antibody testing results I have received my COVID-19 antibody results and it says antibodies are Detected. What does this mean? It means that antibodies against the virus are present in your blood. It confirms that you have been infected with COVID-19 at some point in the past. I have received my COVID-19 antibody results and it says antibodies are Detected. Does it mean I am immune? There is not currently enough evidence to confirm whether having antibodies against COVID-19 will protect you against the infection. Therefore, there is still a risk of infection with COVID-19. I have received my COVID-19 antibody results and it says antibodies are Not detected. What does this mean? This result means that evidence of prior COVID-19 infection was not found in your blood. Most likely you have not had the infection, but it can take some time for antibodies to develop. Also some people, especially those with mild infections, do not develop antibodies or only at low levels, that do not last long. I have received my COVID-19 antibody results and it says antibodies are Not detected. Does this mean that I am not immune and therefore should stay at home? When antibodies are not detected this simply means you are unlikely to have contracted the virus in the past. Government and NHS advice and guidance on keeping safe and/or when to isolate should still be followed.