Lateral Flow Device Supply Service

With the expanding cohorts, not everyone will have had a letter – please use clinical judgement on whether to supply or not.

Provision of LFD tests:

The pharmacy contractor must confirm the patient’s eligibility for a supply of LFD tests. This could be by:

• Having a discussion with the patient or their representative about medical history, confirming they have a qualifying condition;
  • Consider reviewing the National Care Records Service (NCRS) and then use your clinical judgement
• Seeing an NHS letter which confirms eligibility
• Referring to pharmacy PMR; where the pharmacy has recorded previously seeing a copy of the patient’s NHS letter confirming eligibility

From the 1^st April, the lateral flow device (LFD) supply service for patients potentially eligible for COVID-19 treatments was updated to include the following additional patient groups:

• people aged 85 years and over
• people with end-stage heart failure who have a long-term ventricular assistance device
• people on the organ transplant waiting list
• people aged 70 years and over, or have a BMI of at least 35 kg/m2, or diabetes or heart failure, AND:
  • are resident in a care home, or
  • are already hospitalised.

Service reminder:

All Eligible patients can obtain a free box of five LFD tests from a community pharmacy signed up to provide the service. A positive LFD result may help to determine whether the patient is referred to a COVID-19 treatment service.

Pharmacies already signed up:

• Amend SOP with updated eligibility list
• Check stock levels
• Check the Service is selected on your Profile Manager

Pharmacies not signed up:

• Know where the nearest pharmacies providing the service are so you can signpost patients. A map can be found here: https://www.cpsc.org.uk/public/how-find-your-local-pharmacy
• Pharmacies can sign up to provide the service on MYS