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Motorists could pick up a test at a center set up in a London park
The lack of coronavirus testing for NHS staff is leading to staff and service absences being put at risk, hospital chiefs warned.
NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts in England, said staff have to isolate themselves rather than work because they can’t get tests done for themselves or their family members.
It comes after widespread reports from people struggling to get tested.
The government has said the capacity is “the highest it has ever had.”
The government’s testing system, part of its test, track and trace operation that Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised would be “a worldwide victory”, has faced criticism in recent weeks.
An increase in demand for coronavirus tests has caused local shortages, with some people being directed to testing sites hundreds of miles from their homes.
Meanwhile, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was seeking “urgent discussions” with the UK government about an apparent delay.
‘Working in the dark’
The latest figures from last week showed that around 220,000 tests are processed each day.
Based on those government figures, the testing capacity is more than 350,000, which includes swab testing and antibody testing, but the goal is to increase that number to 500,000 a day by the end of October.
Last week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted there were “challenges in accessing tests,” but said “the vast majority of people get tested quickly and close to home.” He suggested that the demand from people who had no symptoms was partly to blame for the shortage.
NHS providers said hospitals in London, Bristol and Leeds had raised concerns over the weekend about staff absences due to lack of testing.
“It is clear that there are current capacity issues with the testing regimen,” said Chris Hopson, executive director of NHS Providers.
“It is not only access for testing for staff members, it is also access for members of their family as NHS workers must isolate themselves if their family members cannot confirm whether they have Covid-19 or not.
“The problem is that the NHS trusts are working in the dark – they don’t know why this shortage is occurring, how long it is likely to last, how geographically widespread it is likely to be, and what priority will be given to healthcare workers and their families in access to scarce evidence. “
Hopson said trusts need to know more details so they can plan accordingly, for example creating their own trial facilities.
“Our recent survey showed how concerned trusted leaders were about the impact of inadequate testing on their ability to restore services and it is disappointing that detailed information on current issues has not been shared,” he said.
He said patients who must come in for treatment should also have priority for testing.
‘I was meant to be seeing patients’
The last problem with the testing system is that some people who have booked appointments are being rejected from the testing centers because the system did not send them a barcode.
Some people say they booked tests online only to be rejected because they weren’t sent a QR code, a barcode that can be scanned on a smartphone.
A doctor who works at a coronavirus hotspot said she requested a test for herself and her partner after they developed a cough and fever.
After updating the website for five hours, he got an appointment, but was told on arrival that no reservation had been made.
She had taken screenshots of a confirmation code, but was not sent a QR code to scan. “I showed the screenshots, but they told me the dating wasn’t happening,” he said.
“I have to say that I burst into tears. I was meant to be seeing patients and I feel guilty.”
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A nurse in the Southwest, whose daughter had a persistent cough and fever, said he had been nearly rejected despite having a test scheduled.
After hours of trying, he had “finally” booked a site about 50 miles away and received a confirmation, but not a QR code.
And when he got to the test site, they told him that he couldn’t get the test. “At first they told me, ‘There’s nothing we can do,'” he said.
Finally, he requested the first test appointment he could find anywhere in the country – in this case, about 500 miles away in Dundee – and managed to get a QR code.
By Rachel Schraer, BBC Health Reporter
NHS providers said the lack of testing was also hampering preparations for winter, when hospitals could be busier due to Covid-19 and seasonal flu.
Hopson asked the government “to be honest and open” about what was happening.
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Meanwhile, the president of the British Medical Association has said the government should focus on the current testing system, rather than its “Operation Moonshot” plan, which aims to see millions of tests processed every day by using of a new type of test that is not yet available. unfolded.
“Down here on planet Earth we need a proper tracking and testing system in the here and now with capability, agility and accessibility that does not require 100-mile travel that harms some of the most vulnerable,” said Dr. Chaand by BMA. Nagpaul is expected to make a speech later Tuesday.
Johnson previously said that a massive testing program could be ready by spring and could help the UK avoid a second national lockdown.
A new laboratory near Loughborough will also open in the coming weeks that will be able to process 50,000 tests a day.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the testing capacity has been directed to the worst affected areas following a surge in demand.
An NHS spokeswoman said: “Hospitals continue to fully comply with recommended testing protocols for patients and staff.
“To further support the national testing and tracing program, NHS hospital laboratories have now been asked to further expand their rapid response, high-precision testing capabilities.”
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