The Scottish Government has again been urged to deliver greater testing for care workers after it emerged just over a half of NHS Highland’s capacity has been used.
Correspondence from the health board’s chief executive Paul Hawkins to Highlands MSP Edward Mountain reveals that testing capacity stood at 1,250 from May 25 to May 31 for the region, with the number carried out reported at 571.
A further 212 results were reported from laboratories in Glasgow where requests from Argyll and Bute were sent direct.
Mr Mountain has called for greater testing of care home staff across the country after it emerged only a fifth of care home staff have been routinely tested.
Statistics revealed by the Scottish Government show that across all 14 of Scotland’s health boards only 11,195 care home staff were tested out of an estimated 50,000 workers from June 1 to June 7.
In Highland, only 258 staff had been tested up until June 7.
Mr Mountain said frontline care home staff “deserve to be tested routinely”.
He questioned why extra testing is not being conducted with the health board having the capacity to do so, and called for the Scottish Government to set clearly when all staff will be tested.
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
