MSP calls for more coronavirus testing of care home staff in the Highlands
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Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain has called on the Scottish Government to expand testing of care home staff in the NHS Highland area.
Mr Mountain says there is clearly capacity for more testing to be done in the Highlands than is currently taking place.
In a letter from NHS Highland chief executive Paul Hawkins he was told that, between May 25 and 31 there was caapcity to carry out 1250 tests while the "number result reported" was 571 with a further 212 reported from labs in Glasgow, which were "requests from Argyll and Bute sent direct".
Scottish Government statistics also reveal, that across Scotland’s 14 health boards, 11,195 care home staff have been tested out of an estimated 50,000 across the country.
In the NHS Highland region 258 staff had been tested up until June 7.
Mr Mountain said: “The Scottish Government made a pledge three weeks ago that all care home staff would be routinely tested.
“So for only 258 staff across the Highland region to have been tested in the weeks since this pledge does nothing to allay the concerns of care home staff and residents.
“It is clear that NHS Highland has the extra capacity to test more care home staff, so why isn’t this happening?
“It is now time for the Scottish Government to set a firm deadline as to when all care home staff will be tested in NHS Highland.
“Our care home staff are on the frontline fighting against this virus and the least they deserve is to be tested routinely.”
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