Health Call develop rapid COVID-19 testing app for healthcare staffby Health Call on 4th December 2020

NHS Health Call in collaboration with Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust has developed a COVID home testing app that can be used by frontline staff to report rapid testing to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus in health and care settings.

The app been developed in response to the recent requirement for NHS Trusts to promote regular testing amongst staff and ensures that positive and inconclusive results can be acted upon quickly, with crucial data accessible to the trusts so it can be reported back to Public Health England.

Developed in just two weeks, and accessible via mobile or an online portal, the intuitive app works alongside a self-testing kit to provide quick results and has been designed to capture potential COVID infections in asymptomatic staff before they commence their shift. Bespoke advice can then be provided through the app, which satisfies all clinical safety requirements.

As a result, reporting and monitoring of cases has been made much simpler, whilst also helping to reduce the spread of COVID among NHS staff and vulnerable patients.

The COVID Testing App is just one of the innovative digital healthcare solutions developed by Health Call, who have received two national awards in recent months, HSJ Patient Safety Best Health Tech Solution and HTN Health Partnership of the Year award.

Graham King, the Chief Information Officer for the Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust said: “Throughout the pandemic we’ve had to work at speed to respond to the changing situation.

This testing programme involves thousands of our frontline clinical staff, and finding an intelligent digital solution for recording and reporting results was essential.

The home testing app gives us real time information and the ability to respond quickly to positive results and keep people safe from Covid-19.”

Maurya Cushlow, the Executive Chief Nurse for the Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust said: “It’s been a real pleasure to work with Health Call to develop this app.  Their ability to understand the specific challenge and work with us to develop a rapid response was exactly what we needed and gave the team working on this project real confidence.   We now have a solution which is clear, simple and easy to use and provides real time data for national reporting.”

Ian Dove, Director of Health Call said: “We are honoured to have partnered with Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals (NUTH) in the development of our Health Call COVID Staff Home Testing Application.

The ability to deliver safe and effective digital health technologies has been tested significantly throughout the COVID -19 pandemic, so we are delighted that in just three weeks were to capture the requirements of this prestigious organisation and produce a clinically safe and scalable application that is ready for deployment across the health and care system. 

This is a great example of how digital technology can play a pivotal role in protecting our local population from the devastating spread of the virus. Our ability to respond at such pace, moving from an initial telephone conversation to a integrated application in a matter of days, is a credit not only to our award winning team, but also a testament to the commitment of the staff at NUTH in keeping patients safe.”