Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister Angela Burns has described as “alarming” the findings of a survey carried out by the Royal College of Nursing Wales into members’ experience of Coronavirus testing in Wales.
According to the survey – carried out between April 24 and April 28, to which there were 1,215 completed responses from Wales – only 50 percent of respondents knew how to access or apply for testing in their place of work.
Of the 45.8 percent of respondents who currently require, or have previously required, testing for Coronavirus, less than half of them (45.9 percent) were offered a test.
There were also regional variations in the time it takes to return a test result, with just 36 percent of respondents in North Wales receiving their tests in two days, compared to 59 percent in South Wales Central.
Commenting, Mrs Burns said:
“These findings make truly alarming reading, and suggest at best very poor communication.
“I am adding my voice to RCN Wales’ call for an urgent increase the numbers of health and social are staff who are offered a test, as well as increased and enhanced partnerships with trade unions and professional bodies to help communicate key messages on testing guidance and provisions at a local level.
“Lastly, there must be immediate work done by the Welsh Government to eliminate regional disparities in the testing of our nursing and social care staff.
"Just less than two-thirds of staff in South Wales Central receiving a test within two days is bad enough, but a little over a third receiving theirs in North Wales is putting the lives of staff and patients at greater and unnecessary service are addressed in a timely manner.”
