Patients coming to Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust buildings are being urged to support the COVID-19 Test and Trace programme by simply scanning a code with their smart phone.
They will be able to scan a QR code, a small barcode-like image, once they have downloaded the new Test and Trace app onto their phone, so they can be contacted immediately should someone who was also at the location around the same time test positive for the virus.
Posters are displayed at locations, where people may be waiting for more than fifteen minutes, around Sandwell, City and Rowley Regis Hospitals, as well as Leasowes Intermediate Care Centre. Each location has a unique QR code.
Sally Roberts, Chief Nurse for the Black Country and West Birmingham, said: “It’s vitally important to register your contact details for Test and Trace when you go into a venue, to make it easier to keep track of those who may have come into contact with COVID-19 cases and stop local outbreaks from happening.
“This new app will definitely make things a little easier and a lot faster and because it only requires you to scan a code using your phone, it keeps contact with people and surfaces to a minimum so it’s safer too.”
The Test and Trace programme is designed to help slow the spread of the virus, reduce the impact of a potential second wave, and help everyone return to a more normal life.
As well as ensuring they can be contacted if they encounter somebody who has COVID-19, checking in will also give app users a record on their phones of the venues they have visited, which will help them remember where they have been if they become ill themselves.
The NHS Test and Trace app is available for download now on both iOS and Android phones.
To download see the following websites: