First Minister Nicola Sturgeon talks testing as concern over Covid-19 coronavirus impact in care homes mounts

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has detailed the range of people eligible for coronavirus testing as criticism grows of the Scottish Government’s handling of the situation in care homes.

Seven residents at the Home Farm Care Home in Skye have now died of coronavirus after 59 residents and staff tested positive for Covid-19.

Today it was announced that NHS Highland is providing "enhanced assistance" at the home after an unannounced inspection raised "serious concerns".

Ms Sturgeon used today's Scottish Government coronavirus briefing to detail the testing measures that are currently in place.

These include:

• NHS Scotland tests all intensive care patients, all those who are symptomatic and all patients over the age of 70
• Patients over 70 are tested every four days while in hospital
• NHS tests are 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
• 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 will move to different towns every five days or so, providing testing for any key worker with symptoms

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."

She said that the government was working with the military, who run the mobile testing units, to make these as widely available as possible.

She also said a policy of "test, trace, isolate and support" will start to be implemented.

She said this will be "crucial" in controlling further outbreaks of Covid-19 as Scotland begins to emerge from lockdown.

Related article: Unannounced inspection of Skye care home with Covid-19 outbreak raises 'serious concerns'

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