Coronavirus: NHS ordered to use full testing capacity in order to meet 10,000 per day target by No 10

Downing Street has issued an order to NHS trusts to use available testing capacity to the full, amid a growing backlash over the failure to meet its target of 10,000 tests a day.

In an apparent sign of frustration over the fact that fewer than 5,000 tests were conducted on one day this weekend, hospitals have been told that any spare capacity must be used to test staff for coronavirus infection.

It came as Boris Johnson’s official spokesman confirmed that the goal of 25,000 tests a day will not be achieved until mid-to-late April.

The new date represents a slippage since the target was announced on 18 March, when the 25,000 milestone was expected to be reached “within four weeks”.

The government has come under attack over the failure to ramp up testing more quickly, at a time when Germany is already testing 500,000 a week.

Former World Health Organisation director Anthony Costello said it would be “perfectly feasible” to reach German levels of testing if the UK’s 44 molecular virology labs were dedicated to the task.

“We must go to mass testing and, when we remove the lockdown, I don’t think it will take six months. All the Asian states – it was six to eight weeks to being able to lift the lockdown,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for an immediate expansion of testing.

In a letter to the PM, Mr Corbyn wrote: “I have seen reports that up to a quarter of NHS staff are having to self-isolate. They must be urgently tested so that those who do not have the virus can return to work. The lack of testing and tracing for social care workers is risking their health and that of those they care for, who are the most vulnerable to the virus.”

The Labour leader also urged Mr Johnson to ensure adequate protective gear for health and social care workers, extra resources for care homes, a shutdown of non-essential workplaces, support for workers who have fallen through the gaps in packages announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak and committing the UK to a global response to the outbreak.

Health secretary Matt Hancock and his cabinet colleague Michael Gove both incorrectly claimed at the weekend that daily testing had passed 10,000, when in fact it peaked at 9,114 on Friday before falling back the following day, despite maximum capacity reaching almost 10,949.

Mr Johnson’s spokesman made clear that ministers believe the shortfall resulted from hospitals failing to use testing facilities to their full to check staff as well as patients for the Covid-19 virus.

“Where there is any spare capacity for testing, NHS trusts have been told that this must be used for NHS staff,” said the spokesman.

“Both ministers and Public Health England have been clear with NHS trusts that where spare capacity exists it should be used for NHS staff.”

The spokesman told a Westminster media briefing that the government was “working closely with industry to try to resolve issues in relation to testing”, which include shortages of chemical agents and swabs needed to carry out the procedure.

Asked if Mr Johnson was frustrated with the slow pace at which antigen testing – to confirm that people have the disease – has been ramped up, the PM’s spokesman said: “It’s absolutely an important issue and the PM and ministers want as much progress to be made on this as possible.

“The PM is seeing daily updates in relation to testing. We want as much testing as possible to be carried out as soon as possible.”

He pointed to the assessment of Public Health England medical director Yvonne Doyle, who said on Monday that the target of 25,000 tests a day was not likely to be met until mid to late April.

The spokesman played down the prospect of a swift move to wide-scale antibody testing, which shows whether someone has had the disease and recovered.

Although ministers have purchased millions of antibody tests, the spokesman said: “The first thing to do is to ensure that we have a test which works. The PM, the chief medical officer and the chief scientific officer have all been clear that once this test is established, it can be a game changer and we would want it to be used as widely as possible.”

Downing Street said that 170m items of PPE protective gear, including face masks, have been delivered to NHS hospitals and other clinical settings in recent weeks.

On Monday along, some 2.3m aprons, 870,000 eye protectors, 218,000 respiratory masks, 1m surgical masks and 11m gloves were sent out, with the army helping with 24-hour deliveries.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman acknowledged that there had been “occasional issues” with out-of-hours deliveries, but added: “I have not seen anything to suggest that we currently don’t have enough. There have been some issues around getting orders to hospitals, particularly out of hours, but we have been using the military to address that.”

Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk