Ford Transit transformed into mobile clinic to identify ‘long COVID’ effects in UK

MANILA: The National Health Service (NHS) in Essex, England has partnered with Ford and local community health leaders to provide a mobile clinic specializing in spirometry testing using a Ford Transit to determine and assess the effects of “long COVID.”

Spirometry is a technique used to diagnose lung ailments such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory illnesses. Patients breathe into a device that measures lung capacity.

The Transit will carry the equipment, allowing NHS clinicians and health workers to provide a “one-stop-shop” service for residents with mobility challenges, language barriers, or who live in more rural areas.

This comes just months after the launch of the Ford Transit Vax Van, a program that helped the NHS in administering vaccines to minority groups and rural communities. Hundreds of people were encouraged to get their first vaccines with the help of this program. Patients have commended the “easy” and “convenient” service.

In a statement, Mid and South Essex Partnership Clinical Lead Dr. Sharon Hadley said, “Building on the success of the Essex Vax Van, we are launching a similar outreach model to help reach under-served groups to make sure they get the right care for breathlessness linked to long COVID.  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 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. 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.”

Meanwhile, Ford of Britain and Ireland Managing Director Lisa Brankin stated, “Ford are delighted to support this outreach program using our new Transit van, which enables the NHS in Essex to directly target the communities that need it most. 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 organization, 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 bespoke vehicle is based on a Ford Transit, which has been the most popular commercial vehicle in the UK for 56 years and was named as the best-selling vehicle in 2021. It has been modified to support the NHS by West Yorkshire-based specialty vehicle builders Venari Group. Aside from spirometry testing equipment, the Ford Transit is also equipped with medical grade refrigeration with WiFi monitoring capability, vaccine transport coolers, a collapsible chair for administering vaccines, and an integrated tablet for accessing and updating health records.

The Ford and NHS Essex Transit will be on the road starting this month. The program will continue to run as a pilot, with the possibility of expanding the number of vehicles and experimenting with new outreach strategies in the future.

Photos from Ford

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