Covid testing for frontline health staff in Wales
Social care staff will also get the twice-weekly lateral flow tests
Routine Coronavirus testing of frontline health and social care staff who don’t have symptoms will start this month in Wales
Lateral flow tests (LFTs) will be made available to test frontline health and social care workers twice weekly.
Wales Health Minister Vaughan Gething said:
“I am pleased to announce that we will now be introducing a programme of regular asymptomatic testing of frontline health and social care staff and others in contact with patients and those receiving social care.
“This builds on the asymptomatic testing of health workers in Wales to assist with outbreak control and those working in care homes.
“This will be done using lateral flow testing devices, which can produce results in 30 minutes with the potential to be self-administered.”
The Welsh Government insists testing alone cannot eradicate the risks associated with Covid-19 and needs to be carried out alongside other infection prevention control measures, such as the use of PPE, social distancing and hand hygiene.
Mr Gething said:
“Protecting our NHS staff and our most vulnerable citizens in Wales is at the heart of our Covid response and a key element of our Test, Trace, Protect strategy.”
The new testing programme will be available for:
- Clinical NHS staff and those working with high-risk groups such as haematology staff working with transplant patients.-
- Non-clinical staff including porters, cleaning staff, catering staff and volunteers.-
- Social care workers, including domiciliary care workers, social workers and inspectors visiting care homes and other social care settings.
These groups will start to be tested from 14 December, starting with those working in services with high risks of transmission, and introducing in lower risk settings in January.
Regular asymptomatic testing of staff working in hospice inpatient units and those delivering hospice at home services will be introduced at a later date.