Highland MSP presses Sturgeon over 'unviable' coronavirus tests
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Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has quizzed Nicola Sturgeon about coronavirus tests becoming “unviable” due to late collections in remote and peripheral areas.
At First Minister's Questions today, Mrs Grant said that a constituent had come to her with concerns about an elderly neighbour who had undertaken a Covid-19 test and then been at a loss as to how to get it to a testing centre.
Despite contacting NHS Highland and a local testing centre as a matter of urgency, the test was not picked up until 72 hours after it had been completed – making it highly unlikely to provide an accurate result.
Mrs Grant asked what steps Ms Sturgeon would take to make sure that “everybody, regardless of where they live, has access to testing and testing that can give a result”.
Ms Sturgeon replied that while she couldn’t comment on that specific case at present the speed of testing turnarounds was vitally important and the Scottish Government had plans to report on turnaround time for tests in the future.
She said she had more confidence in on-site testing than in home testing,which relied on postal services or courier pick-ups, but that the test and trace system may come to rely on home tests in the future and so the system had to be improved to make it more reliable and robust.
Mrs Grant said later: “It’s a disgrace that the SNP is boasting about its test and trace processes when, in practicality, people trying to make use of the system are struggling to understand how it operates, how to access services and how to get the support they need – all while being ill. Why are simple return instructions and arrangements not included in the testing kits, for example?
“This virus disproportionately affects some of the most vulnerable in our society – the elderly, those with chronic illnesses and people who may suffer from the impacts of socio-economic deprivation. Providing support for them to understand what is expected of them in terms of completing and returning tests would seem to be to be common sense.”
Mrs Grant added: “Furthermore It can’t be a postcode lottery as to whether you get a successful Covid-19 test or not. Our rural areas are still set on a precipice whereby if Covid-19 gets a foothold it could be devastating for communities that have limited resources with which to tackle a pandemic.
“And they are some of our hardest-to-reach communities. They should be getting extra support at times like this to overcome their geographical challenges, not abandoned to find their way in the dark – which appears to have been what’s happened here.”
Ms Sturgeon agreed to investigate the case that Mrs Grant had brought to her attention.
