YORK Hospital has launched a new ‘drive through’ coronavirus testing service.

It says it wants to ensure people can get a safe, convenient and quick test for Covid-19.

A spokeswoman for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said the ‘See and Swab’ service, situated in a car park close to the hospital’s A&E department off Wigginton Road, can only be accessed through a referral from NHS 111.

“It means people worried about the virus can safely and quickly get tested close to home,” she said.

“NHS trusts have introduced the See and Swab areas so that people do not need to come into A&E for testing.”

She said that if people were unable to get there in their own vehicle, there was a pedestrian option which allowed them to come to the pod for the same testing, but people were discouraged from taking public transport.

She said the samples were sent away and the patient was sent home to await the results through a phone call they would receive.

She said that following national guidance, the trust had already put in place NHS 111 pods at its emergency departments, so that anyone attending hospital with symptoms of the virus could be kept isolated from other patients and avoid causing unnecessary pressure in A&E.

York’s pod is in a portable building next to the main A&E building.

“Over the coming weeks many more of us may need to self-isolate at home for a period to reduce this virus’s spread,” said the spokeswoman.

“Everyone can continue to play their part by taking simple steps such as washing hands to prevent the spread of infection and calling NHS 111 first before going to the doctors or A&E if they have any concerns about or show symptoms of coronavirus.

“Anyone with initial concerns can access the NHS 111 online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do.”

The spokeswoman added that if people needed to come to hospital for any other reason, they could be reassured that its hospitals were functioning as normal.