A MAJOR car manufacturer has teamed up with the NHS in Essex to bring tests to communities in the area which help assess the effects of long Covid.
Ford has partnered with the Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership to create a custom-made transit van offering a mobile clinic and pre-booked appointments.
The van will bring spirometry tests to residents at risk of long Covid.
Patients will breathe into a device which measures their lung capacity.
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The mobile clinic has been designed to assist residents in the county that may have mobility issues, language barriers or live in more rural areas.
It comes after the success of the Ford "Vax Van" which offered Covid vaccinations to those unable to reach a clinic.
This helped the NHS administer vaccines to minority groups and rural communities.
Mick Purdey being tested in the new van by Ruth Barlow. Credit: John Nguyen/PA Wire
Dr Sharon Hadley, clinical lead at Mid and South Essex Partnership, said: "Many people are reporting ongoing breathing difficulties.
"With a decline in spirometry testing during the pandemic, the diagnosis of conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is estimated to have fallen by half in the past year, tens of thousands of people across the country could be living with the serious condition without knowing.
READ MORE: Covid hospital cases down 55 per cent in a month
“In the same way that Covid-19 posed a greater threat to certain communities, we need to get out and find those most at risk and make sure people have the knowledge, care and treatment they need to avoid serious life limiting illness.”
Lisa Brankin, managing director at Ford of Britain and Ireland, said: “Working with the NHS to bolster outreach and uptake of such an important test, has been an incredible way to continue the momentum of the ‘Vax Van’.
"This spirometry testing van, further anchors Ford as a leading organisation, with a ‘people-first’ approach in everything we do.
"I am sure that this Transit will continue to increase access for more people around the county.”
The van made its first trip on Monday, February 7, and will continue to run as a pilot.
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