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Coronavirus swabs and other key NHS tests are under threat after a supply chain failure at a major diagnostics company.
The Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche said problems during the move to a new warehouse had caused a “very significant drop” in its processing capacity.
A spokesperson said that testing for Covid-19 will be prioritized.
An NHS trust has already recommended to its GPs to stop all non-urgent blood tests.
In a statement, Roche said: “We deeply regret that there has been a delay in the shipment of some products.
“We are prioritizing the shipment of Covid-19 PCR [diagnostic] and antibody testing and doing everything possible to ensure there is no impact on supplying these to the NHS. “
The company is one of the two main suppliers of diagnostic test equipment and supplies in England.
The affected warehouse is Roche’s sole UK distribution center and covers the entire country.
Rationed tests
Dr Tom Lewis, Senior Pathology Physician at North Devon District Hospital, said his hospital trust had sent communications that all non-urgent blood samples in the community should be stopped.
Without rationing these non-urgent tests, he said, they would run out of swabs in “three or four days.”
Even with rationing, essential equipment could run out next week, he said.
Roche said it could take more than 15 days to resolve the problem.
Dr Lewis said that perhaps most concerning was the dearth of electrolyte tests supplied by Roche, as they were “the key test for critically ill patients,” as well as being widely used by GPs to verify that medicines of people were safe and did not harm the kidneys.
A Midlands virologist tweeted that his service had not received hepatitis C test kits and now it was running out.
Materials used in cancer diagnosis could also be affected.
In a letter sent to the NHS trusts, seen by the BBC, Roche said: “In September we moved from our old warehouse to a new automated warehouse capable of much higher volumes.
“However, during the transition we encountered some unforeseen problems and a very significant drop in our processing capacity. Since then we have worked around the clock to prioritize and manage orders, as well as increase this capacity.”
The letter went on to advise local NHS services to “activate [their] local contingency plans “and” seek to prioritize only essential services. “
