This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Labour calls for routine testing of all health staff
The Labour Party is calling for routine testing of all staff in the NHS and social care sectors to help minimise transmission of coronavirus.
The party’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, is calling for testing to expanded beyond symptomatic carriers, so that all staff are regularly tested once a week.
The Department of Health and Social Care said on 4 April that it would be testing critical key workers regularly once widespread testing became available. On 29 April, NHS England confirmed that it would be extending regular testing to asymptomatic staff. However, despite this, universal staff testing has yet to be implemented.
The government’s current testing strategy involves testing NHS workers who have symptoms of the virus. Some trusts are already doing routine staff testing, but it is not currently not required across the board.
Labour’s call for routine testing follows a study which suggested that a fifth of coronavirus infections among hospital patients and almost nine in 10 infections among healthcare workers may have been caught in hospital. A separate study from Imperial College London suggested that weekly testing of healthcare workers is ‘estimated to reduce their contribution to transmission by 25-33 per cent’.
Ashworth said: “Regular testing of all NHS staff must now be an urgent priority. Weekly testing of all healthcare workers reduces the spread of the virus and helps protect NHS staff and patients. Eventually resetting the NHS to continue treating covid and non-covid patients is going to have to take priority. This should include putting in place infection control measures to make sure patients can continue to safely receive their care, and routine testing of all staff should be a part of this.”
Latest News
16/02/2024 - 12:56
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has created a new alliance intended to clean dirty air and improve residents' health.
16/02/2024 - 10:44
Two million more GP appointments a month are being delivered for patients compared to the same month before the pandemic as part of the NHS primary care access recovery plan according to new NHS data.
15/02/2024 - 10:26
The Welsh Government has provided innovation funding of £380,000 to support two projects utilising technology in domiciliary care.
15/02/2024 - 10:13
The new Scottish health secretary has met with frontline staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
14/02/2024 - 10:27
The North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) has appointed three new Executive Directors to the Trust Board.
Product Features
UK Building Regulations highlight toxic gas and smoke from layers of paint built up over multiple redecorations as a major cause of permanent ill health or death in a building fire.
Their concern rose with discovery the flame retardant paints most widely used paint along escape routes have been ones which to this day counter-productively use emission of heavy toxic gas to smother flames which rapidly spread along walls if layers of paint delaminate in a fire.
Supplier Profiles
Northwich’s Victoria Infirmary (VIN) Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) has enabled more patients
Adveco, the commercial hot water specialist, announces the launch of live metering of domestic ho
Latest Features
Sarah Greenslade, public affairs and communications officer at the British Parking Association looks at some of the problems and innovations in healthcare parking
It’s easy to assume that the comms team is there to handle press enquiries and the occasional social media storm – but the reality is that strategic communications can make a measurable impact across the entire organisation, from operational to financial, when done properly
