COVID Screening in Colleges and Universities

Keeping things as normal as possible for staff and students is key when you want to provide the best education experience. That's why RB Health & Safety now offer COVID Screening for universities and colleges. 

COVID Screening in colleges and universities


Throughout the pandemic, we have been conducting SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Screening at a range of professional sites. Now we are able to offer it across higher education establishments so you can test faculty and students to see whether they pose a risk to others.

How it works


Knowing who has been infected with COVID-19 allows you to better implement prevention methods and utilise Track and Trace systems to keep your personnel and student body safe. Our university COVID screening kits are only for use on those without symptoms.

The screening consists of taking a nasal swab to see whether the individual has developed antigens of SARS-CoV 2antigen. The nasal swab COVID-19 kit works by checking for a nucleoprotein associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the upper respiratory tract. This allows our nurses to assess whether the patient is carrying COVID-19 during the acute infection phase.

The process uses a lateral flow kit and is simple, providing results within 15-30 minutes:

1) Our nurses will undertake the full COVID-19 screening process for you on-site - only of individuals who do not present symptoms.

2) Each individual will need to confirm their identity, brief medical history and that they don't have any symptoms of the virus (such as a fever, new continuous cough or loss of taste or smell).

3) Once consent is given, the nurse with use a sterile nasopharyngeal swab to reach the back of the nasopharynx to collect enough cells. This just takes a few seconds and means only mild discomfort.

4) Once removed, the swab is mixed with an extraction buffer solution with results ready within 30 minutes.

5) If the results are negative (i.e. no presence of SARS-CoV-2 detected), the individual will be told and allowed to continue with their activities.

If the results are positive (i.e. the kit found the presence of SARS-CoV-2), the individual will be given advice on self-isolating immediately in line with the latest NHS and government guidelines as well as any restrictions or advice specific to the college or university. Test and Trace will also be conducted to alert anyone who has recently been in contact with the individual.

Trust RD Health & Safety for COVID screening


Conducting on-site COVID screening is the best way to protect the wellbeing of your staff and students during the pandemic. Those who are positive can be given the best advice on how to manage their symptoms, prevent contact with others, and alert anyone they may have been exposed to, while those who test negative can be given the peace of mind to continue with their lives.

The COVID kits we use at RB Health & Safety are approved by the World Health Organisation and have been used by governments, hospitals and care homes across the world, so you can have faith in their effectiveness. We also use a team of fully vetted and experienced nurses to ensure that best practice is followed.

Click here to find out more.