Greens call for regular tests for NHS staff

Introduce regular testing for NHS staff now say Greens

Scottish Greens Parliamentary Co-Leader Alison Johnstone MSP says that The Scottish Government must introduce regular Covid19 testing for NHS staff, as steps are taken to reintroduce some services which were suspended at the height of the outbreak.

Speaking ahead of a government debate on next steps for NHS on Tuesday afternoon some five weeks after publishing a proposal for regular testing of frontline staff, Ms Johnstone said there must be no more delay.

Alison Johnstone MSP said:“I published a proposal in April for frontline health and care workers to be regularly tested, and while this has now been rolled out in care settings, NHS staff are still not being regularly tested. There must not be any further delay.

“I find it baffling that the Scottish Government has equivocated on this matter for so long. Particularly as experts at the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine have been supportive of the proposal. We know that asymptomatic carriers can transmit the virus, so it’s highly likely that NHS staff are unwittingly passing on the virus in hospitals.

“As some services begin to restart in the coming weeks and months, more vulnerable people will be attending hospital. The introduction of regular testing will reduce transmission and provide much needed reassurance to patients and staff.”