Coronavirus (Covid-19) antibody testing for care home, social care and domiciliary care staff

Latest update: 9 October, 2020

Cessation of Coronavirus (Covid-19) antibody testing for care home, social care and domiciliary care staff

Our Coronavirus (Covid-19) antibody testing offer for care home, social care and domiciliary care staff in Mid and South Essex and West Essex will be stopping.

Details of  timings for stopping the antibody testing are below:

Antibody testing for social care and domiciliary care staff

Antibody testing for social care and domiciliary care staff will cease from Friday, 9 October.

From that date antibody testing will no longer be available at

• Brentwood Community Hospital, Crescent Drive, Shenfield, Brentwood
• Sutton Road Surgery 508 Sutton Road, Southend-on-Sea
• St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping

Antibody testing for care home staff

Antibody testing for care home staff will cease from Friday, 16 October.

From that date the mobile antibody testing offer where our provider Commisceo visited care homes to run antibody testing on site for care home staff, will no longer be available.

Information for staff having an antibody test before the testing ceases:

If you are having an antibody test presently (or before the closing dates above), please be advised that there is likely to be a delay in the laboratory analysing the results due to circumstances beyond our control. Any samples taken during this time will be safely stored and analysed as soon as possible. We ask for your patience as there is likely to be a delay in you receiving your results.

Other options for  care home, social care and domiciliary care staff who want an antibody test to check if they have had coronavirus:

The government is running an at-home antibody testing service which is now available to all staff in the adult social care sector in England.

To sign up for an at-home antibody test, staff will need to register on the online portal here.