Tuesday, 15 September 2020
The University of Nottingham has today announced that it is developing an in-house testing service specifically designed to tackle asymptomatic transmission amongst students and staff.
This follows on from the success of two pilot schemes run by the University over the last six months looking both at scientific innovations in the testing process as well as providing asymptomatic testing for the University’s Vet School.
The University has been working with local public health, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and NHS Test and Trace to develop this service, which will support efforts to control outbreaks amongst university communities and become operational at the beginning of October, with an aim of increasing capacity over time. It will provide the University and local public health with extra testing capacity beyond the national system. As a priority, the service will be deployed in a targeted fashion to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 amongst those individuals who might be positive, but don’t have symptoms.
World-class experts and facilities
Participation in university testing will be on a voluntary basis, with any asymptomatic positive cases discovered by the service then confirmed by an official government test, linked to NHS Test and Trace.
The Asymptomatic Testing Service will be funded and run by the University of Nottingham, using many of the world-class research experts and scientific facilities that were deployed during the first wave to support local and national efforts to tackle the pandemic.
It has been designed to be complementary to the national testing strategy and should help reduce the number of asymptomatic tests being put through the Government’s ‘Pillar Two’ (testing in the community) pathway.
The University is also actively exploring how it can extend the service to cover the students and staff of other local university partners.
The service is just one of several measures being put in place by the University of Nottingham in partnership with local public health and the NHS to help manage the return of students to campus and the city this autumn. These measures also include:
- two ‘walk-through’ Local Testing Solutions (LTS’) will be based on University Park Campus and Jubilee Campus. These are semi-permanent swab-test collection facilities, which are funded and managed under Pillar Two, with tests processed by the Government’s Lighthouse Labs. Slots will be pre-bookable online and both facilities will be open to staff, students and members of the local community. The LTS’ are expected to be in place by the beginning of October.
- putting in place improved contact tracing technology, using the University's Eduroam Wi-Fi network to help support local public health and the national NHS Test and Trace in identifying close contacts of positive cases on campus.
- the University will be helping students on and off campus to isolate through the provision of support packages, which will include a range of measures including meals being taken to students’ doors in halls of residence, as well as providing essential items, guidance and support for those living in private accommodation in the wider community.
We firmly believe that the development of the Service will help control the spread of COVID-19 and keep our communities safe and well, whilst building on the scientific excellence of our institution to provide longer-term strategies for prevention.
Professors Denning and Ball, who are part of the project team which has been working on developing the Asymptomatic Testing Service, added:
“Currently, COVID19 testing focuses on people who exhibit symptoms. However, we know that significant numbers of infected people, especially the young, are asymptomatic yet can potentially spread virus to others. The type of surveillance and enhanced testing that we are about to embark upon will reduce potential spread and help keep our university and the wider community safe."
Richard Mitchell, Chief Executive of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are delighted to be working with the University of Nottingham to support it in establishing its Asymptomatic Testing Service. We recognise how closely intertwined public services are across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and the safe return of students in Nottingham will be of benefit to us all.”
Sarah Carter, Senior Responsible Officer for Testing Strategy for the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire area said of the deployment of the Local Testing Solutions: “The delivery of Local Testing Solutions in two campus locations at the University of Nottingham will support and maintain the safe return of students to our area. We are delighted to have contributed to making this happen, and to be working collaboratively with the University and Public Health colleagues to ensure that our students are welcomed back and have the right level of support during their academic year.”
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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