Home care staff ‘waiting more than a week’ for coronavirus test results

Dr Jane Townson, chief executive of the Homecare Association, has called for staff to be prioritised when PCR tests are processed.

Patient samples are transferred by scientists into plates before entering the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) process for Covid-19 testing (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Archive)

A home care chief has called for care workers to be prioritised when coronavirus tests are processed, as it emerged some carers are waiting more than a week for results.

Dr Jane Townson, chief executive of the Homecare Association, said this will help maintain workforce capacity amid ongoing pressures that are being exacerbated by the spread of Omicron.

Examples provided by a national home care provider, which have been flagged to the Government illustrate some of the problems staff are experiencing in getting PCR test results.

One staff member in Wimbledon south London who took a PCR on December 23, was still awaiting results on December 31.

Dr Jane Townson, chief executive of the UK’s Homecare Association (UKHCA/PA) (PA Media)

Another care worker in Basingstoke, Hampshire, was told to travel to Newbury in Berkshire to get a walk-in PCR test, but discovered their local centre was “completely quiet” when they supported a client to get tested.

In North Cheshire, care staff are waiting seven days on average for PCR test results to be returned.

At one point, 12 staff in this area were isolating while they awaited test results.

Dr Townson told the PA news agency staffing problems vary by region, with areas such as London, Lancashire and south Cumbria “really struggling” in recent weeks.

She has been told by some larger members, mainly providing services in England, that around 6% of their staff are off with Covid-19 or isolating – approximately double the usual absence rate.

I've made the point many times to the department - that they shouldn't announce policies without it being possible to actually implement them in practice, because it creates another whole load of issues

Dr Jane Townson, Homecare Association

Testing is “a big issue in the short term”, and is “really key” to keeping everything going safely, she added.

She told PA: “I think it’s very, very patchy, it’s, it’s very regional. So places like London – very problematic.

“Other places are muddling along, but the staff shortages have been made worse by slow turnaround times with tests.

“So I’ve raised that multiple times with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – they say that health and social care workers are supposed to be prioritised in the PCR test turnaround, but there are stories of tests not coming back for five days, 10 days, seven days.

“And of course, all the time that the tests don’t come back, people can’t get back out to work.

“And of course, the difficulty obtaining lateral flow tests is problematic.

“So I’ve made the point many times to the department – that they shouldn’t announce policies without it being possible to actually implement them in practice, because it creates another whole load of issues.”

The DHSC was approached for comment.