Care home testing must increase, say Scottish Tories

SNP Ministers must step up their efforts and get on top of testing care home staff and residents in NHS Lothian.

2,665 care home staff and 2,460 care home residents have been tested cumulatively since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, up to the 7^th June.

This is despite SNP Health Secretary Jeane Freeman promising last month that every care home worker would be routinely tested.

The Scottish Conservatives challenged SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the matter at First Minister’s Questions where Nicola Sturgeon revealed only a fifth of care home staff had been routinely tested across the country.

Table 5 – Number of Tests – Care Home Staff and Residents
	Number of Tests
	Week Commencing 1 June		Cumulative total to 7 June
NHS Board	Staff	Residents	Staff	Residents
Ayrshire and Arran	67	30	689	579
Borders	22	13	343	193
Dumfries & Galloway	4	7	75	159
Fife	178	30	763	372
Forth Valley	876	565	2,176	1,858
Grampian	115	167	1,709	1,668
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	17	678	920	5,709
Highland	47	40	258	265
Lanarkshire	43	119	586	956
Lothian	566	327	2,665	2,460
Orkney	6	5	20	15
Shetland	8	9	74	52
Tayside	264	139	876	741
Western Isles	30	4	41	22
Scotland	2,243	2,133	11,195	15,049

Scottish Government statistics reveal that across Scotland’s 14 health boards, only 18,110 care home staff have been tested out of an estimated 50,000 across the country – NHS Border said it didn’t have the capacity to run care home tests.

Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has repeatedly raised concerns over the level of testing in care homes since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month it was revealed that over 900 hospital patients were discharged to care homes with being tested for Covid-19.

The Scottish Conservatives are calling for all for SNP Ministers to set a deadline for when all care home staff will be routinely tested.

Miles Briggs, who is the Conservative health spokesperson, said: “There has simply not been enough testing carried out in care homes since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has had disastrous consequences.

“SNP Ministers have been repeatedly told that testing is crucial for reducing the spread of Covid-19, but have slow to implement testing in care homes.

“In Edinburgh and the Lothians there have only been 2,665 tests carried out on care home staff, no where near as many as are necessary.

“Nicola Sturgeon and SNP Ministers must set a firm deadline as to when all care home staff will be tested.”