The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has reminded all community pharmacy contractors of the storage conditions for lateral flow device (LFD) test kits.
As the country predicts to see higher temperatures by the end of the week, the pharmacy negotiator has asked contractors participating in the NHS community pharmacy Covid-19 lateral flow device distribution service to keep the test kits away from direct sunlight and between 2-30°C to preserve the integrity of the swab.
The committee said on Monday (July 12): "If a contractor has concerns around how their stock of LFD test kits has been stored or encounters problems maintaining LFD test kits at the appropriate temperature as the warmer weather commences, they are advised to contact NHS Test and Trace for further advice."
The community pharmacy Covid-19 lateral flow device distribution service aims to improve access to testing by making LFD test kits readily available at community pharmacies for asymptomatic people, to identify positive cases in the community and break the chain of transmission.
This service works alongside the existing NHS Test and Trace Covid-19 testing routes.
Graeme Duncan 
