Fingerprint drug test proves popular with clients and staff at leading detoxification centre

Press Release

Fingerprint drug test proves popular with clients and staff at leading detoxification centre

• 9 out of 10 CAIS clients surveyed prefer fingerprint drug testing to urine or saliva-based screening
• Revolutionary new drug screening system now available from Intelligent Fingerprinting
  

CAIS – a personal support charity providing in-patient drug and alcohol detoxification services – has run a successful pilot of the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System – the world’s first fingerprint-based portable drug test. CAIS is focused on helping people recover from addiction and rebuild normal, productive lifestyles. Results from its trial of Intelligent Fingerprinting’s system revealed highly positive feedback from both its detoxification clients and CAIS staff – confirming the drug test as portable, quick and easy to use, less invasive than other methods, and more dignified for CAIS clients.

Nine out of ten CAIS detoxification clients who took part in the post-pilot survey said that they preferred being tested by the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System in comparison to traditional screening methods that require urine or saliva samples for analysis.

According to Leon Marsh, Director of Community Services at CAIS: “our detoxification programmes involve regular drug tests for our residents to monitor their progress and assist in their recovery. CAIS has traditionally used urine cups for drug screening – which can prove difficult, both for those clients who find it embarrassing to urinate when required, as well as for staff who have to handle and process the urine samples. We were therefore very interested when we learnt about fingerprint drug testing to see how the new Intelligent Fingerprinting technology performed in practice. After our pilot, we can confirm that the solution has been very well received by both our clients and staff – particularly for its flexibility and more dignified approach.”

The Intelligent Fingerprint Drug Screening System features a single-use cartridge – which is used to collect the fingerprint sample in just five seconds – along with the Reader 1000, which analyses the cartridge to provide simultaneous test results for cocaine, opiates, cannabis and amphetamines in under 10 minutes. An introductory video demonstrating the technology is available here.

Clive Wolfendale, Chief Executive for CAIS added: “When I first heard about fingerprint-based drug screening I was excited about the opportunities it presented for our charity, and particularly how it could be used to make the testing element of our drug detoxification programmes less stressful for our clients. We work with over 600 clients each year at our Hafen Wen detoxification centre, and that adds up to a lot of time and costs taken up by drug testing. Anything we can do to improve the experience and process by speeding it up has to be a good thing. Our pilot has shown that with the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System, sample collection takes a few seconds with results in minutes. Not surprisingly, this helps free our staff to support other important detoxification activities.”

CAIS clients have found fingerprint drug testing to be ‘more dignified, less embarrassing and less invasive’. According to CAIS staff, the screening method has been a ‘more convenient way to test, requiring only one member of staff’, and ‘certainly more efficient in terms of time taken to obtain samples as opposed to urine collection’.

Following years of intense R&D, over £10 million of development funding, and a successful trials and validation programme with organisations such as CAIS, Intelligent Fingerprinting recently brought its revolutionary drug testing technique to market with the launch of its Fingerprint Drug Screening System. Organisations interested in finding out more about how the Intelligent Fingerprinting drug test could support them should contact info@intelligentfingerprinting.com

-ends-

For media information contact Cheryl Billson at Comma
Email: cheryl.billson@commacomms.com  Tel: +44 (0)7791 720460

Notes to Editors:

About CAIS

CAIS is a registered charity and leading voluntary sector provider of personal support services in Wales. CAIS helps people who are having problems with addictions, mental health, personal development and employment – as well as offering assistance and information to their families and friends. It offers a wide range of services, including residential treatment and rehabilitation, counselling, peer mentoring, supporting people in their homes, assisting people back into work or education, group work and other motivational interventions.

CAIS also offer a comprehensive range of training courses, together with training and support for employers. We are very active in the field of employment interventions including the development of our own social enterprises. CAIS is committed to working in partnership with others in keeping with the All Wales Strategy – Tackling Substance Misuse in Wales. All CAIS services aim to help people recover from addiction and rebuild normal, productive lifestyles in the belief that people can and do change. www.cais.co.uk

About Intelligent Fingerprinting

Launched in August 2017, the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System works by analysing the sweat from a fingerprint sample. It is non-invasive, fast and cost-effective – screening for multiple drug groups simultaneously (currently amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and opiates) with sample collection taking 5 seconds and results in minutes.

The system is currently being marketed to the criminal justice arena, drug rehabilitation services, offender management and occupational health services. The technique has potential for many other uses including healthcare diagnostics and homeland security applications.

Founded in 2007, Intelligent Fingerprinting is a spin-out company from the University of East Anglia (UEA).  The company is based in Cambridge, England and currently employs around 30 people. www.intelligentfingerprinting.com Twitter @iFingerprinting