Cash plan provider SimplyHealth is making a subsidised coronavirus antibody test available to its corporate and retail customers.
This test will be available from July 13. SimplyHealth says it is heavily subsidising the cost of this Public Health England approved test, which will be available to customers for a fee of £49.
This test can help determine if someone has previously had Covid-19 from antibodies which are still present in their blood.
The carry out the test customers will receive a home visit from a healthcare professional. Customers will also be able to purchase tests for family members at a cost of £99 each.
Simplyhealth Group chief executive Romana Abdin says: “In our research, 93 per cent of customers have told us that they would value being able to have the test which is why we have committed to deliver this service. We know that our customers have varying healthcare needs and believe an antibody test is an important way to allow them to make their own individual decisions, based on a fuller set of information. We hope the knowledge of whether virus has been present will help individuals and families to better understand and assess the choices that lie ahead of them.”
This test is being offered in partnership with Square Health. It involves testing blood which is professionally drawn from a vein. This is currently the only Public Health England and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved method of carrying out the antibody test.
Tests will be available for the next 12 months, allowing customers to choose as and when they may be tested. Results will be emailed to customers within five to seven days and 24/7 virtual GP appointments are also available to customers to provide ongoing advice and support as needed.
Anonymised results will be made available to Public Health England to help them understand more about the spread of the virus.
At this stage, tests will only be offered in England and Wales.
