First Minister confirms who can get tests as impact of Covid-19 in care homes intensifies
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has reconfirmed the extensive list of those who can get the Covid-19 test as criticism of the Scottish Government’s handling of the toll the virus has taken in care homes grows.
Ms Sturgeon has come under sustained scrutiny for how the government’s response to the virus may have left many care home residents vulnerable to the infection.
An estimated 57 per cent of recent deaths have been those above the age of 70.
With a Skye care home now enduring one of the worst outbreaks of the virus to date in Scotland – with 59 residents and staff testing positive and seven residents dying so far –she discussed the enhanced outbreak investigation which would test everyone at a care home where there is an reported outbreak.
In all the measures include:
- NHS Scotland tests all intensive care patients, all symptomatic and all patients over the age of 70
- Patients over 70 will be tested every four days while in hospital
- NHS tests are also given to all patients due to enter or re-enter a care home from hospital
- Care home residents who have previously tested positive for the virus must have two negative tests before entering a care home from hospital
- The government is implementing a so-called enhanced outbreak investigation in all care homes where there are any cases of Covid-19
- It involves testing all residents and staff whether or not they have symptoms of the virus
- Testing is also available for all NHS and social care and key workers or symptomatic household members of those workers
- Testing should be accessible to care and health service staff within the local area and should not require them to drive or travel long distances
- Care home managers can put symptomatic staff forward for testing
- Mobile testing units across the country will move to other towns every five days or so
- They provide testing for any key worker with symptoms not just health and care workers
Ms Sturgeon said: “At this stage our testing policy continues to be based on three key priorities – saving lives and protecting the vulnerable, ensuring that critical staff can return to work as soon as possible and lastly monitoring and reporting on the spread and prevalence of the virus.
“NHS Scotland testing capacity is currently used within hospitals for all intensive care patients, all patients in hospital who have symptoms of the virus and all those who are admitted to hospital over the age of 70 whether they have symptoms of the virus or not.
“People who are over 70 will be tested every four days during their stay in hospital and the reason for that, of course, as we see in the statistics that we publish every day show older people are particularly hard hit by this illness. NHS tests are also given to all patients due to enter or re-enter a care home from hospital and if they have previously tested positive for the virus they must have two negative tests before entering the care home from hospital.
“In addition, we are implementing now what is called enhanced outbreak investigation in all care homes where there are cases any cases of Covid-19 and this involves testing subject of course subject to the individual’s consent all residents and staff whether or not they have symptoms of the virus.
“NHS testing is also available for all NHS and social care key workers or symptomatic household members of those workers and this testing should be accessible to care and health service staff within the local area and should not require them to drive or travel long distances.
“Care home managers can put symptomatic staff forward for testing and let me stress there should be no barriers to that whatsoever.
“Tests are also available through the UK-wide testing program at drive-in centres and mobile testing units, there are five drive-in centres in Scotland these are at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports and at Inverness and Perth. There are also now 12 mobile testing units across the country in locations such as Annan and Fort William and they will move to other towns every five days or so.
“These provide testing for any key worker with symptoms not just health and care workers, for example, if you're working in critical infrastructure services and they are also available for anyone who needs to work and cannot work from home and for anyone with symptoms with over 65.
“Testing is also available to symptomatic household members for all of these groups and if you book a drive-in or mobile centre you will be allocated to the centre located closest to your own postcode.
“I do understand that for some people that can still involve travelling quite a long distance so we're working with the military to try to make mobile testing units as widely available as possible."
