Call for volunteers to help community testing campaign

3rd December, 2020

A call for registration volunteers to support new community testing stations has been made by St Helens Borough Council and Halton & St Helens Voluntary Community Action.

Community testing stations are being established for people who are asymptomatic – they are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19 – and registration volunteers are needed to support their delivery, by:

Supporting people to register for their tests when they arrive at the testing station,
Guiding people to testing bays,
And directing people to exit the stations safely.

Registration volunteers will not be required to administer tests, receive test samples or process tests.

Full training, guidance and appropriate PPE will be provided for the role. Volunteers will need to be confident in dealing with the general public and regularly use smart phones or other tablet-based devices if supporting the registration process. Travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Labour Councillor Anthony Burns, St Helens Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure, Libraries and Heritage, said: “Community spirited volunteers have truly been essential to our COVID-19 response, and we cannot thank them enough. This new role presents a further opportunity to help our borough through the pandemic by supporting the roll out of wider testing to the community. You could play a vital role in helping residents visiting stations to feel safe and secure.”

Claire Redford-Kerr, Volunteering Lead for Halton & St Helens Voluntary Community Action, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with the council in supporting safe, positive engagement of volunteers at the community test sites. Our volunteers can provide that added reassurance and support when arriving and registering at the sites.”

The establishment of community testing stations follows the successes of the pilot programme in Liverpool, and there will be several sites across the borough.

Testing stations will be operational up to July 2021 and open 7 days a week, 8am – 7pm. All testing stations will have officers from St Helens Borough Council managing them and providing day to day support to volunteers.

To register for this opportunity please visit https://volunteering.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk