COVID-19 swabbing, pre-endoscopy procedure - West Yorkshire ICB

Project Overview

LivingCare was commissioned to design and deliver a comprehensive pre-endoscopy COVID-19 swabbing programme to enable the safe continuation of diagnostic procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The service supported patients attending for gastroscopy, colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and cystoscopy across LivingCare clinics, independent sector providers and NHS hospitals.

The programme ensured that all patients were confirmed COVID-negative prior to procedures, meeting infection prevention and control requirements while maintaining essential diagnostic capacity.

Our Role

LivingCare managed the complete end-to-end swabbing pathway, including patient booking and communication, clinical swabbing, courier logistics, laboratory liaison and timely result reporting.

We operated across multiple delivery sites to ensure accessibility and worked closely with endoscopy units, laboratory teams and infection control leads to ensure real-time coordination. Robust clinical governance, data protection and quality assurance frameworks were embedded throughout delivery.

LivingCare also implemented digital systems to enable automated alerts and real-time result visibility for endoscopy teams, reducing manual processes and supporting proactive management of delays or anomalies.

Outcomes

The programme was delivered successfully throughout a period of rapidly changing national guidance. It enabled thousands of patients, including those on urgent cancer referral pathways, to proceed safely with diagnostic procedures during the pandemic.

The service achieved full compliance with testing timelines and maintained essential diagnostic services at a critical time for the NHS.

• End-to-end management of a complex clinical pathway
• 100% compliance with pre-procedure testing requirements
• Strong collaboration with NHS, ICB and laboratory partners
• Rapid adaptation to evolving national guidance
• Effective use of digital systems for real-time reporting
• Clear, consistent patient communication