FAQS

Yes, we appear on the UK government list of private COVID-19 testing providers as we are contracted to provide Pharmadoctor’s COVID-19 testing service. 

Yes, of course, you may arrive at the Clinic at any time where you will be expected to register and pay for the COVID-19 testing service you require. Please do not forget your passport and mask, we also urge you to check opening hours.

Please arrive no more than five minutes before your appointment, we ask that you wear a mask unless instructed otherwise. You are required to bring your passport, confirmation of your booking and your registration number.

Yes, our clinic is fully wheelchair accessible. London Bridge Station has excellent step free accessibility and as we are across the road from the station approaching the clinic is straightforward.

Yes, our Healthcare Professionals are trained to take samples from children. We do however recommend you check with the relevant government website at your destination to see if a test is required for children as requirements vary between countries. We offer PCR and Rapid Antigen Testing for children over the age of one if a parent or guardian is present at the appointment and have given their consent.

Stay at home, please do not come to the clinic.

You should quarantine if:

• you get symptoms of coronavirus (you should get an NHS coronavirus test and self-isolate until you get the results) 
• someone you live with tests positive
• you’ve been traced as a contact of someone who tested positive

For advice on when you might need to self-isolate and what to do if you have COVID-19 symptoms, please read ‘Self-isolation and treating symptoms’ on the NHS website

A PCR test for COVID-19 is a virological test used to diagnose people who are currently infected with SARS-CoV-2, which is the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The PCR test is the “gold standard” test for diagnosing COVID-19 because it’s the most accurate and reliable test.

This test detects bits of proteins on the surface of the COVID-19 virus called antigens. Antigen tests are typically considered rapid, look for one or more of the proteins of the virus and take only 15 to 30 minutes. The antigen swab test gives you a very reliable indicator of whether you have or have not currently got the virus. A positive result has a very high chance of confirming if you are carrying COVID-19 virus in sufficient quantities (viral load) to make you infectious. There is of course a margin for error in any test, but the margin is small.

This test detects if you’ve had an immune response (antibodies) to the virus. This means that you’ve had the virus and your body (immune system, specifically antibodies) has mounted an attack to fight it. The test is detecting those antibodies. It typically can take a week or more after being infected for enough antibodies to develop to be detected in your blood. For this reason, this test should not be used to diagnose an active infection. This test may also be used to check your response to a COVID-19 vaccination.

Your PCR or antigen test sample will be collected by one of our trained healthcare professionals by using a nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) swab. Your antibody test requires a small blood sample which will be taken by using finger prick lancet, both processes should take no more than 5 minutes.

Depending on the service you opted for your PCR results will be issued by 11pm the day after your test or 3 hours from the receipt of the sample at our London Laboratory. Antigen and Antibody test results will be available 15 to 30 minutes after your test.

You will receive a text message to let you know that your test results are available in the portal.  You will require your password which is your 8 digit D.O.B.

Anitbody and Antigen test results may be printed in the clinic. You will need to log in to your account to obtain your results and associated documents.

If your COVID-19 PCR or lateral flow test is positive you and your household will need to isolate and follow current government COVID-19 guidelines which can be found here.

For more information go to the NHS COVID-19 website.

If you receive a positive antibody test it means that COVID-19 antibodies were detected so it is likely you have had coronavirus before or have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

A small number of tests may come back inconclusive. This simply means it was not possible to say if you had the virus when the test was done. There are a number of reasons why this might happen and it unfortunately means you will need to be tested again.

We will not charge you for an inconclusive or unclear result – we will either refund you in full or book you for a repeat test. Please contact us immediately.

A negative PCR or lateral flow test means that you were not infected with COVID-19 when you took the test. A negative antibody test means the test did not detect COVID-19 coronavirus antibodies so it is unlikely that you have had coronavirus or vaccine.

As with any diagnostic test, there is the possibility of false positive and negatives.

Yes, many countries require your passport number to be on your results certificate. You MUST bring your passport to your appointment to allow the Healthcare Professional to review your ID and add the details to your account.

Yes, all certificates are issued on headed paper by our doctor, they are signed and contain their GMC registration number.

We have partnered with a UKAS and ISO accredited, government approved laboratory testing facility: 

• Randox Laboratories Limited – UKAS No: 306847

The UKAS accreditation scheme is a 3-stage process that has been developed in partnership between DHSC and UKAS. The accreditation scheme ensures that we demonstrate that our services are executed following strict high quality ISO processes. MSI Clinics is contracted to provide the government approved Pharmadoctor COVID-19 testing service which is UKAS accredited.

Dr Colin Davidson is our Medical and Compliance Director, his GMC number is 2734187. Dr Davidson has over 30 years’ experience working in general practice, secondary care and private healthcare businesses.

Arran McFaull is our Medical Information and Compliance Manager; he holds a first class honours degree in Biology. He works closely with Rashmi Parmar, our Clinical Governance Manager, who is a qualified pharmacist with over 20 years’ experience. Both are committed to promoting and supporting organisations to deliver quality, evidence-based services.

MSI Clinics has been set up to help return life to normal, in a way that is safe, by offering COVID-19 testing services to holiday makers, business travellers as well as to support employers in getting their workforce back into their offices.

Our parent company MSI Group Limited is a global market leading specialist supplier of healthcare and pharmaceutical professionals to the NHS and other private and third sector healthcare organisations.

Formed in 2002 by our joint CEO, MSI Group has won numerous awards and is a trusted supplier of healthcare professionals to the clinics.