Coronavirus: NHS and social care staff to get antibody tests from next week, Matt Hancock to announce

The tests detect whether a person has had coronavirus and since recovered

NHS and social care staff will be able to get antibody tests from next week, which will reveal if they have previously had coronavirus.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is expected to announce plans to roll out newly approved blood tests to frontline workers at the Downing Street press conference on Thursday.

The tests use blood samples to look for antibodies produced by the body’s immune system to combat the virus.

They differ from the more widely used antigen tests, which determine whether the patient is currently infected with coronavirus.

Experts hope that antibodies could provide a degree of immunity to the virus. However, research into this immunity remains in its early stages.

A senior figure in the NHS told The Guardian: “Antibody tests for staff could be a real game-changer in letting hospitals restart services.

“However, they won’t be able to tell us for months if people who have had the virus are immune.”

Mr Hancock is expected to announce the plans later on Thursday, insiders confirmed to The Independent.

However, Professor Stephen Powis, the NHS England medical director, warned against reliance on antibody tests at the Downing Street press conference on Wednesday.

He said: “What we don’t absolutely know at the moment is whether having antibodies, and having the antibodies that are tested in those tests, means that you won’t get the virus again.

“I wouldn’t want people to think just because you test positive for the antibody that it necessarily means that you can do something different in terms of social distancing or the way you behave.

“Because until we are absolutely sure about the relationship between the positive antibody tests and immunity, I think we as scientists would say we need to tread cautiously.”

Asked whether everyone will get access to an antibody test through the NHS, Professor Powis said: “When I say it is the early phase of these tests and where we will use them first, is in health, and probably social care settings for patients, obviously, but also for staff in those settings where it is most important that we understand about infection.”

Public Health England has approved several antibody tests for widespread use, including one by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche.

Meanwhile, Superdrug became the first high street retailer to offer home antibody testing kits.

The £69 DIY kit requires users to take a blood sample at home, which is then sent off for laboratory testing.

However, the news comes amid serious concern about the rollout of government’s test and trace system, with NHS leaders expressing fears it may not be ready in time to prevent a second surge of cases.

Boris Johnson promised MPs that a “world-beating” virus tracing system would be in place by 1 June but chaos over the rollout of an NHS smartphone app to track cases has thrown the pledge into doubt.

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents hospital bosses, warned that staff and patients would be put at risk if the system is not in place ahead of any further easing of the lockdown.