Rapid COVID-19 Testing comes to the UHCW Emergency Department
Those who are familiar with UHCW’s Emergency Department may have noticed a new addition this week – ED’s very own mini COVID laboratory! Run by the Pathology Department, this lab is using innovative new technology to provide COVID testing within ED itself.
The new platform, the DNA Nudge, is being implemented in several Trusts across the UK, and can offer a COVID result in 90 minutes. These rapid results will allow our patients to receive their COVID-19 result rapidly and move to an appropriate area based on that result.
Consultant Virologist Dr Lisa Berry says, “We hope that this new rapid testing platform in the Emergency Department will allow our colleagues to identify quickly those patients who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 and allow them to be safely moved to the appropriate area of the hospital. We would like to thank everyone in ED for their hard work in getting this up and running. Special thanks go to Natasha Khan, Richard Miller-Holliday, and Rob Simpson for their help with the clinical pathway. This project has been an immense undertaking but, after a lot of hard work, we are very pleased to be able to offer this rapid testing to our Emergency Department. It is a testament to our CWPS team’s determination, resilience, and commitment to providing the best possible care for our patients.”
