There can't have been many "silver linings" to the storm clouds created by Covid 19 but a small chink of light for us is the time it's given us to finalise and launch a home testing kit option.

For a long time we've been aware of the fairly major weakness in our armoury whereby men have been denied easy access to a test, often because for sound logistical reasons we can only visit certain venues once a year and sadly this often means men missing it through various unavoidable reasons.

We were on the verge of launching a home testing kit option two years ago but couldn't implement it at the time because of certain administrative constraints. The latter were removed with the introduction of the new fantastic online booking system launched this January and the break from running testing events since March has given us the chance to bring it all together.

We carried out a very successful pilot with around 100 men in early June and the new system is now fully operational.

The huge advantage it has over traditional testing events is that men can order a test online literally 24/7, 365 days a year from the comfort and safety of their own home.

We use the same laboratory as before....The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) who are very experienced in this type of service carrying out around 50,000 tests of this nature a month.

The clinical overview of results and the detailed follow up letters are in exactly the same format as before, so the only difference in the whole process is that rather than have a nurse take a blood sample the men take a small finger prick sample themselves.  The system is safe, robust and well tested. Having said this if any man registering for a test struggles to take the sample, he can have either a free replacement testing kit or a two thirds refund of the original cost, one third being needed to cover the costs of sending the kit to them when they registered.This test is simple to do, it is a finger prick test.

TO ORDER FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS

Visit www.mypsatests.org.uk and register on our website, by inputting your email address and a personal password - which you can easily remember. You will then be sent a verification email to check you are a real person! Once you have clicked on the verification email, you can log back onto our website and request your kit by clicking on the button to order a Home Testing Kit. Once you have completed your contact details and answered a few questions, the kit will be winging it's way to you by post. 

When you receive the kit, read the instructions, perhaps getting someone to help you carry out the test.

Then put the filled vial of blood in the plastic case provided along with the blood form in the return paid envelope. Put it in the post, and you will receive the results within a few days.

The quicker you return the sample the quicker you'll get your result.

If you'd like more information please contact Susan at the office on 01926 419959 or email to info@psatests.org.uk .