The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that community pharmacy teams will continue with Covid-19 lateral flow device (LFD) tests twice a week when asymptomatic.
Further information is being provided to pharmacy contractors in a letter issued by NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I).
The NHSE&I letter says from April 1, 2022, patient-facing staff should continue to test twice weekly when asymptomatic. The LFD tests will continue to be available through the gov.uk portal for all NHS staff working in a patient-facing role.
NHSE&I is also working with the UK Health Security Agency to determine how routine asymptomatic testing should be stepped down in line with any decrease in prevalence rates.
Symptomatic staff should test themselves using LFDs. LFD tests will continue to be available through the gov.uk portal for NHS staff in England with symptoms.
Staff who test positive should continue to follow the current return to work guidance. LFDs to support this guidance will continue to be available through the gov.uk portal for NHS staff in England.
Staff who are household contacts of a positive Covid-19 case will now be able to continue to work as normal if they remain asymptomatic and continue to test twice weekly. They will no longer be required to have a PCR test in order to return to work.
Cat Smith, Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre