Nicola Sturgeon came under fire over care home staff Covid testing as it emerged fewer than one fifth of workers had been checked for the deadly virus.
Ms Sturgeon was urged to set a deadline for the introduction of routine checks for staff as concerns over the lack of testing were raised at First Minister’s Questions.
Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw pointed out that three weeks had passed since routine tests in care homes had been promised and said testing levels were “pathetic”.
Mr Carlaw urged the first minister to “get a grip” on the issue as new figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) revealed the coronavirus death toll had reached the 4,000 mark.
The release of the NRS figures, outlining the number of confirmed or suspected cases up until June 7, was accompanied by Scottish Government figures on care home testing.
The Scottish Government figures showed 11,192 tests were carried out on care home staff in Scotland by June 7.
A report by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in 2019 showed there were 53,500 members of care home staff across the country – meaning fewer than one fifth had been tested.
The fact is that ministers need to get a grip of the situation and they need to do it now.”
Jackson Carlaw
Mr Carlaw said Ms Sturgeon should set deadline for testing of all staff to be carried out.
“The fact is that ministers need to get a grip of the situation and they need to do it now,” Mr Carlaw said.
“That promise of three weeks ago was not lightly given. Why are we still hearing about problems with testing three weeks after the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport (Jeane Freeman) promised that it would be sorted?
“Why did the Scottish Government say on May 18 that it would test all care home workers repeatedly and then take until June 7 to write to NHS boards, asking them to get it sorted?
“Why are letters being sent out rather than testing kits? If the First Minister is confident about that, she should set out a clear timetable and a clear deadline for the first round of care home tests to be completed.”
Ms Sturgeon replied by saying that Mr Carlaw “week in and week out” made “unsubstantiated claims” about the handling of the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Week in and week out, I, the health secretary and the entire Scottish Government get on with the job of tackling the outbreak, which partly — together with the collective efforts of people the length and breadth of the country — is why we are now seeing a decline in the number of cases, in the number of people in hospital, in the number of people in intensive care units, and in the number of people who are dying, including in care homes,” Ms Sturgeon said.
Ms Sturgeon also said routine testing of NHS staff will be introduced in Scotland if an expert group recommends it.
The first minister made the commitment after figures showed almost 1,800 staff and patients may have contracted coronavirus in hospitals.
An expert review group has been set up to consider what can be done to prevent transmission of the virus inside Scotland’s hospitals.
Ms Sturgeon said: “If the nosocomial (an infection that originates in hospital) review group recommends that, I give a guarantee I will implement that recommendation.
“But we will do that on the basis of expert advice we have asked for.”
Unvalidated data has revealed 125 outbreaks of coronavirus within hospitals could have resulted in 901 patients and 894 staff contracting the virus.
This total includes 218 patients who have died.