NSW Health provides rapid COVID testing for KFP candidates in Sydney

Updated at 3.10 pm Friday 9 July to include the results of candidates’ COVID tests.

Candidates for the Key Feature Problem (KFP) exam to be held today at the ICC Sydney will be provided with rapid PCR COVID-19 test to ensure the event can run safely amid the city’s current pandemic restrictions.
 
NSW Health late last night mandated a negative test as a condition of entry to the exam.
 
‘The RACGP has been working with NSW Health since the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in the community as part of this current outbreak,’ RACGP CEO Dr Matthew Miles said. ‘We’ve done this to ensure the KFP and AKT can run safely. 
 
‘We know how important these exams are for our GPs in training and our profession, and we have said from the outset that we will run the exams if it’s safe and compliant with health directives.’
 
The current NSW COVID outbreak, which began three weeks ago, has seen Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains and Wollongong placed under lockdown restrictions, which were originally due to end today but were recently extended to Friday 16 July. The state recorded 44 new cases of community transmission on Friday, following 38 on Thursday, the state’s highest single-day totals in 14 months.
 
‘The new rapid test, which has been approved for use in NSW in the past 48 hours, will ensure we can run the exam in the face of the situation in Sydney,’ Dr Miles said. ‘NSW Health last night advised they will attend the exam today to administer the free test to all candidates.
 
‘Results are available in about 20 minutes and NSW Health has advised they can process 120 tests per hour.
 
‘With this added layer of safety, there will likely be delays to the exam start time while we get everyone tested. We’ve advised candidates to prepare for a longer day on site at the ICC.’
 
All 250 candidates sitting the KFP at the ICC today have now been tested and received a negative result.


All candidates sitting the KFP at the ICC returned a negative test result.

‘In light of how quickly COVID-19 is spreading, the RACGP needs to do its part to keep the community safe – including candidates, GPs, patients, and staff working at the ICC,’ Dr Miles said.
 
‘We’re doing everything in our power to support candidates sitting their exams and progressing to Fellowship. We told them the news as soon as we could, and we’re providing regular updates via SMS, email, on our website, and via our member services centre.’
 
The RACGP has advised candidates concerned about the impact of testing can submit an incident report, which can be assessed after the exam. In addition, candidates who do not want to sit today’s exam can withdraw and will be offered support from the RACGP.
 
The college is also committed continuing to work with individual states’ health departments and chief medical officers on COVID-safe protocols for all future RACGP exams.
 
The RACGP will alert candidates due to sit the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) on Saturday if they need to undertake similar testing before their exam.
 
More information about the free rapid PCR test can be found on the Roche website.
 
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