Asymptomatic Testing
Plymouth College of Art and the University of Plymouth are working together to set up an Asymptomatic Test Site for students in the Main Hall at the University of Plymouth campus, just 5 minutes walk from the college.
Plymouth College of Art and the University of Plymouth are reopening the 2nd phase NHS Test and Trace facility at University of Plymouth’s Main Hall, just 5 minutes walk from the college, from 4 January to 3 March inclusive. The testing centre will be open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
This testing centre is only for students without COVID-19 symptoms (asymptomatic) - to help confirm that they do not have COVID-19 as they may be unaware that they are infectious.
The January phase of testing was originally planned to allow students who returned to Plymouth College of Art after the Christmas break to resume face-to-face on-campus teaching safely.
However, due to national lockdown restrictions announced in early January 2021, our campus is now closed and everyone should stay at home until further notice, with all teaching taking place online.
National guidelines have also now changed to recommend that only one Lateral Flow Test is needed. If you return a positive result you MUST now self isolate for 10 days. You no longer need to take a second PCR test to confirm this result.
Government guidance on travel dictates that you should not travel back and forth from your term time and holiday address during lockdown, however if it is necessary for you to travel in order to return to university, you should arrange to have an asymptomatic Lateral Flow Test before you travel in order to avoid spreading the virus. Check your college email for further details and for the link to book your tests.
The test is very quick and easy, with the results sometimes available within 30 minutes. These Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) are a slightly different type of test to that which anyone with COVID-19 symptoms needs to take at sites such as the city-centre’s Guildhall walk-in site (a PCR test).
We feel very fortunate to have been working together so closely with you to keep our college community and the local community safe. We know that your support and commitment has been vital in keeping our staff and students safe, especially those who are more vulnerable.
Testing will take place a very short walk away from our Tavistock Place campus at University of Plymouth’s Main Hall, between 9am and 5pm every week day from Monday 4 January 2021 to Wednesday 3 March, inclusive.
Appointments are quick to book online, please see your student email for the link, and will need to be made beforehand to ensure staggered arrivals and social distancing can be maintained. Read the FAQs below for important information about the test.
We do believe that taking part in this national testing scheme as well as following other national guidance will directly support and protect our friends, families and communities against COVID-19 and so we hope that you will take up this opportunity.
Book A Test
Please go to the Asymptomatic Testing booking link in your student email.
- Click on the relevant button in your email
- Click "Schedule an Appointment"
- Choose date and time from the blue boxes – a tick will appear next to your selection
- Complete some details about you
- Click "Confirm Booking"
- You will receive an email with your appointment details and an SMS reminder 2 hours before your appointment time
- Should you wish to re-schedule or cancel, click on the "Manage Booking" link in the email and choose the option to "Reschedule" or "Cancel" as appropriate.
- Remember to take a face covering and your student ID to your appointment
Please now repeat the steps above to book your second test.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
About asymptomatic testing for COVID-19
This is a specific programme to test individuals who don’t have any symptoms, but who could still spread the virus to others. Asymptomatic students (who don’t have any symptoms) are not currently a priority group for symptomatic PCR (polymerise chain reaction) testing, but they are one of the groups covered by the new testing technology for those without symptoms.
The lateral flow testing is for students without symptoms who may be infectious but unaware. Testing is voluntary but highly recommended.
The lateral flow testing programme does not replace current testing policy for those with symptoms. This is a new technology to identify individuals who don’t have any symptoms, but who may be asymptomatic carriers and therefore could still spread the virus to others.
This technology will help the government to better protect those at high risk, find the virus and help enable us to go back to as normal a way of life as possible.
Lateral flow tests are designed to detect the level of virus in individuals who do not experience and show any symptoms (they are asymptomatic), but who could still be infectious and pass the virus to others. By taking a test, you will help to stop the spread of the virus, protect other people and save lives.
No, this test is aimed at students. Family members of students are not eligible. If family members experience COVID-19 symptoms, they must follow standard government guidance, including self-isolating immediately and booking a test through nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.
Anyone with symptoms should not register for a LFT test but follow the guidance online on how to book a PCR test – https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test – or call 119. Lines are open 7am to 11pm.
We encourage all students who are returning to campus to book a test before resuming in-person teaching.
We do not know how long immunity to COVID-19 lasts, or the risk of asymptomatic reinfection. We are aware, however, that some individuals with COVID-19 continue to shed SARS-CoV-2 virus for several weeks after their illness, without being infectious to others. New guidelines state that you should continue to take a Lateral Flow Test regardless of whether you have tested positive previously. This is because the Lateral Flow measures the amount of virus you have in your system and is therefore a good indicator of how infectious you may be.
The testing process
Upon arrival at the testing site (the Main Hall at the University of Plymouth), you will be asked to self-register your personal details.
You will then be given a set of barcodes with a unique reference number and will need to use this number to complete registration. This unique reference number is used to link people to their individual test samples and results.
Students will receive guidance in how to take the test supported by trained on-site staff. The test involves applying a swab to the throat and nose under supervision. The sample is processed on-site, and the results are available the same day.
What should I bring?
- Student ID card
- Your smart phone, tablet or laptop. If you do not have one of these then a staff member at the site will help you
- A face covering or mask to wear at all times except when taking your sample.
Appropriate face coverings need to be worn throughout the testing process whilst in the testing facility, apart from when guided by a testing professional to remove it when your sample is taken. Should you have age, health or disability reasons for not wearing a face covering, please alert the site manager about your situation as soon as you arrive so that they can take additional precautions and if you have a face visor the Government advises you to please wear that upon arrival to help protect the testing staff.
Your results
NHS Test & Trace system will link registration details to the test result.
- The result will be sent to the individual via SMS and/or email provided during the registration process
- Subjects can expect to receive results very quickly - sometimes in around 30 minutes, but typically in a matter of hours
National guidelines have also now changed to recommend that only one Lateral Flow Test is needed. If you return a positive result you MUST now self isolate for 10 days. You no longer need to take a second PCR test to confirm this result.
If you get a negative test result you do not need to self-isolate. You should continue to follow all national restrictions and university safety measures to reduce the risk of transmission. We do not need you to share negative test results with the health@pca.ac.uk or healthupdates@pca.ac.uk.
If you get a positive LFT result:
- you will be legally required to self-isolate immediately for 10 days
- your household and/or support bubble must also self-isolate for 10 days
- you should fill in our COVID-19 absence reporting form - this will enable us to support you through your self-isolation period.
You should also send a copy of your positive test results text message healthupdates@pca.ac.uk so we can enter the evidence of this period of absence into your student records, in case you need support from your course or Registry at a later date.
You should then tell us your test result is positive by filling out our COVID-19 absence reporting form and sending a copy of your positive results to healthupdates@pca.ac.uk.
If you are required to self-isolate and feel that this will seriously affect your work, visit the Registry section of the Student Portal for more information about individual applications for Extenuating Circumstances (ECs).
If your LFT result is inconclusive you should book another test as soon as possible.
If you are a close contact of a positive case, or someone in your household/support bubble tests positive you must self-isolate for 10 days even if you receive a negative test yourself. The negative test means you were probably not infectious at the time of the test, but you could become infectious.
You do not need to book LFD testing during self-isolation period. You should order a PCR test if you develop symptoms.
While this is voluntary, we encourage all students who are travelling back to their term-time address from somewhere else to book a test before resuming in-person teaching.
No – if someone you live with has symptoms or tests positive then you must self-isolate for 10 days.
You should order a PCR test if you develop symptoms.
No – you should wait until your period of self-isolation ends.
If getting tested gives you more confidence and you have no symptoms, then you are welcome to book an appointment.
Once you have provided a sample at the Test Centre and it has been anonymised (via the application of a barcode), Plymouth College of Art and the University of Plymouth will be unable to retrieve or extract your data. When you register your sample with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) they will become the Data Controller. They may, depending on the outcome of your test results, share your data with the NHS Test and Trace service and with Public Health England, who may in turn share your results with your GP, and with Plymouth College of Art’s COVID-19 response team.
- If it’s about Test and Trace then please visit the NHS Test and Trace guidance
- You can keep up-to-date with restrictions on the government website
- If it’s about when in-person teaching resumes for your course in order to know when best to book your tests, then please check with your Subject Lead.
- For anything else related specifically to Plymouth College of Art about the testing facility or Covid-19 support please email health@pca.ac.uk
Contact Us
If you have any Covid-19 related queries, please send an email to health@pca.ac.uk.
You can also keep in touch with the Students’ Union and your peers who may be isolating locally or at home by using the Facebook group or Whatsapp chat.
