A mobile clinic which tests for long Covid and other lung conditions has launched in Burnham, in efforts to ensure the outreach service is taken up by rural communities.

The Ford Transit van has been fitted with key equipment for carrying out spirometry tests, and will visit residents in Essex who might be at higher risk of illness or cannot otherwise access an NHS clinic.

Spirometry assesses lung capacity and can help diagnose lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the long-term effects of Covid.

It requires patients to breathe into a device which measures their lung capacity.

The van launched in Burnham yesterday (Monday, 7 February).

Dr Sharon Hadley, clinical lead at Mid and South Essex Partnership, said the van aims to "reach underserved groups to make sure they get the right care for breathlessness linked to long Covid".

She continued: "With a decline in spirometry testing during the pandemic, the diagnosis of conditions such as COPD 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 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."

The vehicle is the same used for the Essex Vax Van, which offers mobile vaccination clinics to residents who may not be able to access the vaccine elsewhere.

In Burnham, the van was used to provide spirometry tests in the morning yesterday and then deep cleaned so it could deliver vaccines in the afternoon.

Lisa Brankin, managing director at Ford, said: "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."

The programme will continue to run as a pilot, with the potential to increase the number of vehicles and explore further outreach models in the future.