Carlaw: We need 100% testing in care homes

17 May 2020

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw has called on regular, 100% testing to be carried out in all care homes in Scotland.

Currently care workers can be tested, but care homes only qualify for tests if they have a confirmed case of the virus, or if they belong to a chain of homes with the virus.

This week the UK Government and Welsh Government announced that all care home residents in England and Wales would be tested as a matter of routine.

But the SNP have still to announce similar measures in Scotland and with over 3,000 deaths in care homes in Scotland, Carlaw said it was time to vastly increase the level of testing.

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw MSP said:

“Given the crisis we’ve seen in our care homes during this outbreak, we need to ensure that all staff and residents receive regular tests.

“It’s now increasingly obvious that care homes are the front-line of this crisis – and that the SNP have been slow to respond.

“The current situation means that we’re acting too late, with care homes only able to receive tests when they’ve got a confirmed case of the virus.

“And as we move towards the test, trace, isolate phase of our response to COVID-19, testing needs to become more routine.

“That’s why it’s time to hugely extend testing in Scotland to every care home and every care worker.

“Care homes elsewhere in the UK are receiving 100% testing, anything short of that in Scotland would be unacceptable.”