Mobile Covid-19 testing clinic launched to safeguard city’s care homes

A COVID-19 “clinic-on-wheels” testing facility is being launched in Glasgow.

The Connected Mobile Health Clinic (CMHC) is designed to provide remote testing and tracking of care home residents and workers in the city, as well as the delivery of essential medical supplies.

It will track coronavirus at six premises, capturing the data of 550 people over three months.

The University of Glasgow and O2 have been working in collaboration on the project.

Professor Nuran Acur, of the university’s Adam Smith Business School, said:

“Resilience will become the new buzzword for care homes during the Covid-19 epidemic.

“Our project will enhance care homes’ resilience for Covid-19related cases by designing the interface of proven digital technology, CMHCS and a new, social business model for linking key players such as the NHS, care homes and technology providers in the health ecosystem.”

The CMHC is designed to minimise exposure of care-home residents and staff to Covid-19, ensuring greater efficiency for healthcare workers and enhancing the testing capability of the NHS.

It was created in response to an open request for help from the Scottish Government in March to fight the pandemic.

O2 officially opened a new Darwin laboratory at the University of Glasgow in March alongside the European Space Agency.

The laboratory is designed to develop proof of concepts for the next generation technology convergence needed for connected autonomous vehicles.

Derek Mcmanus, chief operating officer at O2, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting this project with our 4G and 5G network to help the Scottish Government and NHS tackle and manage Covid-19.

“The Darwin laboratory in Glasgow was only officially opened at the start of this year and it’s exciting to be able to show so quickly how we can use innovations in 5G technology to unlock crucial solutions for society and revolutionise the way we use mobile connectivity.”

Coronavirus outbreaks are up to 20 times more likely to occur in large care homes, according to the biggest study of its kind in the UK.

Edinburgh University researchers found the risk of an outbreak was as low as five per cent in homes with fewer than 20 residents but in those with more than 60 it soared to between 83% and 100%.