Cameron Homes offers workforce rapid testing
Cameron Homes has opened a drive-through lateral flow Covid test centre, which is open to all employees, at its Chasetown headquarters.
The test centre has been set up with Staffordshire County Council as part of Cameron Homes’ measures to protect its workforce, making it as easy as possible for employees to take the test on their way into work.
Ian Burns, chief executive of Cameron Homes, said: “The last 12 months have been challenging for the whole country. Like many employers up and down the country, we have made arrangements for those employees who can do so to work from home but the nature of our business means that is simply not possible for every employee.
“As we begin emerging from lockdown, we are committed to doing everything we can to protect the welfare of our employees and the wider communities in which we live and work, and setting up a testing centre that allows employees to take a test on their way into work is just one way we can do this.
“The tests are not compulsory but we have had a tremendous response since we opened the facility, with employees keen to take the tests both to protect themselves and, of course, their families and workmates alike.”
Rapid flow tests have been made available to employers across the country as part of Government efforts to limit transmission of Covid-19 in the workplace for critical workers. Since early February eligibility has been extended to employers with 50 employees or more.
Rapid flow tests are taken in a similar way to PCR tests used at official Government test centres, with a swab sample being taken from the nose or mouth and mixed with a buffer solution. Some of the solution is then dropped onto the lateral flow device, with results available within just 30 minutes.
The Government hopes the tests will help detect coronavirus in people not already showing symptoms and therefore break the chain of infection among workers.
