Regular Asymptomatic Testing in NI Special Education Needs Schools

Concepts

• regular asymptomatic testing
• belfast
• health services
• ni special education needs schools

Location

Northern Ireland:

Description

Total Quantity or Scope

Regular Asymptomatic Testing in NI Special Education Needs Schools

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 85100000 - Health services

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** The weekly asymptomatic testing service of 10,000 special school staff (teaching, non-teaching and ancillary) and students with special. educational needs is urgently required due to the emergency situation regarding Covid-19 within Special Educational Needs schools in Northern Ireland and will ensure that these schools can remain open. The service will run in. all 39 Special Educational Needs schools within Northern Ireland from March 2021 to the end of March 2022 with the provision to extend until 30th November 2022 following advice from the Public Health Agency regarding testing in Special Education Needs Schools. The samples will be tested using the direct LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) method as this is a viable and readily available deliverable method and is less invasive for children in Special Educational Needs schools and therefore uptake is likely to be maximised and testing objectives met. Queen’s University Belfast is part of the UK national plan for testing and is the only laboratory that is accredited within Northern Ireland to provide all elements of the testing service including the requirement for the testing to be turned around with results within several hours. The aim of this service is to find asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases so they can be isolated along with their contacts, therefore reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the school settings, and consequently the wider community. Special Educational Needs schools have remained open during the Pandemic and while children, even those with significant underlying medical conditions, do not generally become very unwell if they contract COVID-19, some children in Special Educational Needs schools have extremely complex medical needs and all possible steps must be taken to protect them from COVID-19. Any infection can be serious for them as their baseline condition is so fragile. The provision of this service will also contribute to reducing the rate of infections in Special Educational Needs Schools as regular testing will identify cases either before they are symptomatic, or asymptomatic cases, allowing immediate self-isolation, thereby reducing the potential for wider transmission, both within the school and in the contact groups of pupils. and staff.