Scottish government selects 30-minute COVID-19 test to support response
FRANKD with Yoti is supporting Scottish Government Health and Social Care in its fight against the Coronavirus pandemic after delivering the winning solution to the Scottish government’s CivTech5 challenge.
The testing solution is now into a 12-week ‘Accelerator Programme’ to deliver the proposal outcomes.
This year's challenge from NHS Scotland and NHS National Services Scotland asked “How can innovation help NHS Scotland support employers to ensure the health of their people?” with a focus on ‘Supporting Scotland’s Test and Protect Strategy’.
The challenge from Scottish Government Health and Social Care stated: “Post-COVID economic recovery means every organisation is now a ‘health business’ and this will manifest in ways that have never been required before. While there will be people who will need to return to existing work locations, many will continue to work from home, and for many others near home working at local hubs will offer huge advantages. It is vital that in all these locations people can go to work confident that they are located in a healthy environment where the chances of infection are minimised.
“This requires a testing process that is as robust, effective, timely and accurate as possible: we need to be able to [1] better identify who needs a test, [2] speed up the process of getting a reliable sample suitable for testing, [3] create faster test turnarounds, and [4] faster ways of getting tests results back to citizens and other stakeholders - securely and accurately. All of these things need to be useful to both health professionals, and to businesses. How can innovation help NHS Scotland support employers to ensure the health of their people?”
FRANKD is an RT-LAMP test that detects low levels of COVID-19 at 100% specificity and 97% sensitivity to deliver results within 30 minutes. The test is priced at around £20 per test with no lab required. The test is suitable for regular testing in a broad range of locations and uses; whether that’s a GP surgery, hospital, care home, or a range of commercial enterprises including airports.
Andrew Wheeler of GeneMe UK said: “We are delighted to see FRANKD working with the Scottish Health and Social Care on CivTech5. FRANKD with Yoti brings fast and effective testing that can help open safe spaces all over the world. From the large to smaller businesses, accurate, fast, on-premise testing can unlock the economy and save lives.”
The free, award-winning Yoti ID app makes FRANKD secure, private and paperless, safely storing results on people’s phones with anti-spoofing technology to prevent fraudulent use. The ID app is already trusted by the UK NHS and Scottish Improvement Service, Volunteer Edinburgh, New College Lanarkshire and has recently completed testing trials with Heathrow Airport and Virgin Atlantic. The process with Yoti is as follows:
- Paperless: People use the Yoti app to scan a unique QR code on their FRANKD test bag to add their identity to the test.
- Private: After a testing swab is taken, results are processed and delivered directly to the individual’s Yoti app within 30 minutes.
- Secure: Results are encrypted on people’s phones, under their control and can be shared online and in person with a tap of a button or scan of a QR code.
- Builds trust: Results are verified and secured with anti-spoofing technology – this can support society tackling the pandemic through improved data.
Robin Tombs, Yoti CEO said: “It’s an honour to see FRANKD with Yoti selected by the Scottish Government Health and Social Care for the CivTech5 accelerator programme. FRANKD delivers an unrivalled combination of speed, ease and accuracy. We’re proud of our ongoing work with the Scottish Improvement Service and this is another step towards transforming the way the people of Scotland prove their identity. Getting your ID and health test results on your phone has huge potential to support people’s health and the economy.”