Emergency Departments in North Wales are taking part in a study to assess the effectiveness of tests that may give doctors Covid-19 results within minutes rather than hours.

The Facilitating Accelerated Clinical Evaluation of Novel Diagnostic Tests for Covid-19 (FALCON) study aims to find out how accurate new and faster tests are so that patients and staff can be cared for as safely as possible.

Current tests rely on a lengthy laboratory process to detect the presence of the virus. There are limited numbers of rapid tests and some test results take up to 48 hours, which makes safe and effective care more difficult to provide.

Principal clinical biochemist, Dr Sharman Harris, said: “There are limitations to the current tests available, it can take up to 48 hours for a result and the accuracy is not well understood and tests taken at the bedside may provide additional capacity to support current testing pathways.

“The study aims to find out how accurate current tests are.”

Staff at Ysbyty Gwynedd and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd Emergency Departments are taking part in the study.

Consultant in emergency medicine, Dr Pete Williams, said: “The FALCON study could mean that clinicians can make fast, accurate decisions about a patient’s care within minutes.

“That can include decisions around which wards a patient can receive care in and improve the flow through the hospital.

“It will be a real game changer for us to help keep that steady stream moving through our department.

“Currently we can wait up to four hours to get a test result back. This means patients waiting longer in the department until a decision is made where they require ongoing care in another part of the hospital.

“These new tests will help us to remove these pressures and will allow us to make those rapid decisions.”

Patients over 18-years-old with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 infection are invited to participate in the study.

When a patient agrees to be part of the study, additional swabs from the nose and throat are taken. Information is also taken about their health that would be entered into a secure study database.

Dr Nicola Williams, director of support and delivery at Health and Care Research Wales, said: “Finding an effective way to improve the speed of testing for Covid-19 is a key part of the research taking place right now in Wales.

“This faster test – alongside the vaccines that are being developed and other therapies – could help make a real difference to how we care for people with the virus.”