Doncaster hospitals install Covid-19 test machines which can return results in 90 minutes

The ‘point of care’ testing devices have been installed at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop – and bosses have described them as ‘a game changer’ in the town’s fight against Covid-19.

A spokesman for Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Teaching Hospitals Trust, which runs the two hospitals, said: “Last week we took delivery of new point of care testing devices, meaning we will be able to undertake a specific number of Covid-19 tests with the result available in 90 minutes.

“These cutting-edge devices are purely and specifically for internal Trust use, and will help us to rapidly diagnose patients who are suspected for Covid-19, and as such will greatly help us manage our patient flow, while we are busy.

"There will be six of these devices, two at Bassetlaw Hospital and four at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

"Colleagues are doing a fantastic job, and we believe this latest development is likely to be a game-changer for our hospitals.”

In recent weeks, the number of Covid-19 patients in the town’s hospitals has rocketed, with more than triple the number of patients being treated than during the first wave of the pandemic in April.

Earlier this week, the Trust said it was treating more than 200 people for coronavirus and admitting up to 20 patients a day.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been a total of 308 coronavirus deaths in Doncaster.