Hampshire and Isle of Wight Saliva Testing Programme

Following a successful pilot in Southampton involving four local schools and the University of Southampton, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) was commissioned by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to deliver weekly saliva testing to identify asymptomatic cases of COVID-19.

A number of organisations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have participated and contributed to efforts to limit the impact of COVID-19 transmission across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Saliva samples have been processed at a purpose-built facility in Southampton. The programme has used simple, non-invasive saliva collection and LAMP technology to process thousands of samples. The vast majority of results have been provided on the same day as sample receipt at the laboratory.

Following recent national policy decisions on LAMP, the programme will not be funded by UKHSA to deliver any COVID-19 testing from 1 April onwards.

UHS is now working with partners to progress transitionary plans to enable us to retain talented staff within the wider NHS and academic network, and to re-purpose the facility to leave a legacy for the local area, in line with strategic public health objectives.

The programme has now ended and all personal data has been deleted from the Trust network, however test results will still be held by national bodies as part of your health record. To find out more about how the Trust handles personal data, visit the our section on privacy and use of information.