Coronavirus (COVID-19) asymptomatic testing programme: evaluation - November 2020 to June 2021

Annex A: Overview of the testing pathways included in this evaluation

Pathway / Description

Community Testing

Community Testing offers both PCR and LFD asymptomatic testing (and symptomatic testing) to the general public, primarily in specific locations as determined by local authority and health board partnerships.

Early Learning and Childcare

Asymptomatic testing targets staff in 'standalone' (i.e. not attached to a school) early learning and childcare, and school-age childcare settings. All registered "Day Care of Children" settings have been included on a voluntary basis. Registered childminders were initially offered access to asymptomatic PCR testing but, since April, they have been encouraged to access the Universal Testing offer.

Health and Social Care Workforce

There was a phased roll out to NHS staff:

9/12/20 - publication of interim guidance on expansion of twice weekly testing to patient facing staff within hospitals, the Scottish Ambulance Service and Covid assessment centres

11/1/20 - expansion to include community workforce, district nurses and Covid vaccinators

15/2/21 - expansion to include patient facing primary care staff (general practice, pharmacy, dentistry, optometry) as well as SAS and NHS24 call handlers

17/3/21 - expansion to all NHS staff.

For the purposes of this evaluation the focus was on the earliest cohorts of social care staff to be offered testing: adult day care, day services, care at home, personal assistants, sheltered housing, housing with multiple occupancy and care homes.

Highest Risk

The pathway has been promoting the use of the Universal Testing offer among adults who live with someone on the highest risk list.

Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Asymptomatic testing is offered to staff members with specific roles within the two organisations (for example, control room staff, officers in custody sites or deployed in public order roles, Specialist Rescue Instructors, etc.).

Prisons

Over the period of the evaluation (Nov. 2020 – June 2021) the system of testing within the overall prison estate changed. Between November and May/June PCR-based tests were offered to all Scottish Prison Service Staff, staff at two private prisons, and partners working in Scottish Prison Service sites. However, in June 2021, Scotland's 2 private prisons moved to use a different LFD testing pathway. The evaluation focuses on the system used for the majority of the evaluation period, but the June figures at Table 4 are impacted by the move of Addiewell and Kilmarnock prisons to this other system – the small drop in percentage sign-ups is accounted for by removing private prison staff from the overall figures from this pathway.

Schools

Asymptomatic Testing targets all staff in primary, secondary, independent and special schools, and early learning and childcare settings which are attached to a school, together with secondary school pupils. (In relation to pupils, initially the testing programme targeted just senior pupils in S4-S6. With the full return to school after the Easter break, the schools LFD testing programme was extended to include secondary pupils in S1-S3 also.)

Universal Testing

The Universal Testing offer is available to the entire Scottish population to allow free, regular testing for everyone without symptoms. It is in addition to the other pathways, but intended to capture those who are not already testing regularly via their workplace, school, etc.

University & College

Asymptomatic testing has been offered to students who changed household for the winter break and returned to campus and to in-person learning. In the spring, the programme was expanded to allow more regular testing of the student and staff population who was active on campus. College students became eligible for LFD testing at home in late spring 2021, instead of using onsite testing.