Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): getting tested
List of essential workers and those prioritised for testing (England only)

all NHS and social care staff, including: 
doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff, including volunteers and unpaid carers
the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector
those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines, and medical and personal protective equipment
NHS Blood and Transplant frontline staff (blood donation staff, specialist nurses for organ donation, staff running therapeutic apheresis services in NHS hospitals)
those providing ancillary support to NHS workers (such as hotel accommodation for NHS staff)
personal care assistants


essential public services staff, including: 
prisons, probation, courts and tribunals staff, judiciary
religious staff
charities and workers delivering critical frontline services
those responsible for the management of the deceased
journalists and broadcasters covering coronavirus or providing public service broadcasting
public health and environmental staff, such as specialist community public health nursing


public safety and national security staff, including: 
police and support staff
Ministry of Defence civilians, contractors and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of critical defence and national security outputs and critical to the response to the coronavirus pandemic), including defence medical staff
fire and rescue service employees (including support staff),
National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas
British Transport Police and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency


transport workers, including: 
those who keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the coronavirus response
those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass


education and childcare workers, including: 
support and teaching staff
social workers
specialist education professionals


critical personnel in the production and distribution of food, drink and essential goods, including: 
those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery
those critical to the provision of other essential goods, such as medical supply chain and distribution workers, including community pharmacy and testing (such as PHE labs), and veterinary medicine
workers critical to the continuity of essential movement of goods


local and national government staff critical to the effective delivery of the coronavirus response, or delivering essential public services, such as the payment of benefits
public and environmental health staff, including in government agencies and arm’s length bodies
funeral industry workers
frontline local authority staff and volunteers, including 
those working with vulnerable children and adults, victims of domestic abuse, and the homeless and rough sleepers (and hotel staff supporting these groups)
voluntary sector organisations providing substance misuse treatment


utilities, communication and financial services staff, including: 
staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure)
the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage)
information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the coronavirus response
essential staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 essential services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors



Read the privacy notice on coronavirus testing for essential
workers.