A drive-through NHS Test and Trace centre in Leeds – Duncan Cuthbertson-Shutterstock
Sodexo has become the sole provider of assisted Covid-19 testing at 60 regional test sites as part of the NHS Test and Trace programme.
The company will now provide assisted testing services at sites throughout England and Scotland after competing against the new UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Assisted Testing Framework.
The agency, launched in April to replace Public Health England, is a government agency for UK-wide public health protection and infectious disease capability and is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Sodexo is now the largest service management provider of UK Covid-19 testing centres after being awarded an extended contract.
Assisted testers are based at sites in England and Scotland and are available for anyone who is unable to carry out their own swab test or needs support, including people from vulnerable groups and those with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Sodexo teams have also operated assisted testing services at the G7 summit in Cornwall, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and the Tramlines Festival in Sheffield. The festivals formed part of the government’s summer Events Research Programme – a study into opening up large public events in a Covid-safe way.
Neal Gisborne, division managing director for Sodexo’s Covid-19 testing services, said: “Our assisted testing service is an important part of our UK-wide Covid-19 testing service. Whether they are providing testing for world leaders and their diplomatic teams at the G7 summit or helping someone with learning difficulties take a test at a centre near them, their work is vital.
“It is a credit to our entire service that the UKHSA has awarded us this, making us the sole provider of assisted testers on the UK’s Test and Trace programme. It also highlights the fact that they value the important contribution we provide.”
Image credit | Duncan Cuthbertson-Shutterstock
