What new NHS QR code posters in Hartlepool, East Durham and North Tees will do when track and trace app rolls out

QR codes will be displayed in all main waiting rooms, as well as coffee shops and restaurants, at the University Hospital of North Tees, the University Hospital of Hartlepool and at Peterlee Community Hospital.

It is part of a plan from the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust which has announced details of the tracing system.

From Thursday, September 24, anyone coming for an appointment will be asked to download the NHS COVID-19 app, scan a QR barcode and provide some key information to help trace any cases.

When someone enters a venue and scans an official NHS QR code poster, the venue information will be logged on the user’s phone.

The device will then check if users have been at that location at the relevant time.

And if the app finds a match, users will get an alert anonymously with advice on what they should do based on the level of risk.

There is also going to be help available for patients who do not have access to a mobile tablet device. The Trust is providing a paper option for these patients to complete.

Members of the Trust’s volunteering team will also be on hand in waiting areas so that they can help any patients who need advice and support.

Julie Lane, chief nurse and director of patient safety and quality at the Trust, said: “From Thursday, the new NHS COVID-19 app will be launched and rolled out in NHS organisations across the country.

“We are asking that anyone visiting our buildings for an appointment scans the relevant barcode and provide their information.

“The more we trace individual cases, the more we are all collectively able to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect ourselves and our loved ones."

Julie added: “This system will help slow the spread of the virus and significantly reduce its impact on our day to day lives.”

Visitors will be able to find the barcodes in all main waiting areas in the Trust’s hospital buildings.

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