TO protect its patients and people, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) is asking all visitors to its hospitals to take a quick test for COVID-19 before attending.

People must not attend its hospitals if they have symptoms of COVID-19 (a high temperature; a new, continuous cough; or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste).  

Many people who have COVID-19 may not have any symptoms, but could pass the infection on to others. We all have a responsibility to protect each other, including vulnerable patients and hospital staff, from COVID-19.

For patients who are attending for an outpatient appointment, it is a requirement that they carry out a quick COVID-19 test (also known as a lateral flow test) before their appointment and provide evidence of a negative result on arrival. They must attend the appointment on their own, except for patients who require support or for a parent accompanying a child. In these circumstances, PAHT requests that the supporter or parent also takes a lateral flow test.

If the lateral flow test result is positive, please do not attend the appointment, but contact the number on the appointment letter to rearrange the appointment.

They should upload the result into the NHS App. It is the result on the NHS App that will need to be shown on arrival at the hospital. For people who do not have a smartphone, please provide evidence via an email or a photograph of the lateral flow test.

Quick and simple COVID-19 tests (lateral flow tests) are free from the Government website here. Take the test the day before you are due to come to our hospitals, and stay at home if the result is positive. If you test positive on a lateral flow test, you must then arrange to have a COVID-19 PCR test – details are available here.

• You can find out more and order your testing kits on the gov.uk website here
• Please follow the link here to watch a video about lateral flow tests

For further guidance, please contact our patient experience team on 01279 827211 or email [email protected]