Coronavirus: NHS staff need tests 'twice a week'

A leading surgeon has said NHS staff must be routinely tested for coronavirus up to twice a week.

Prof Derek Alderson, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said it was vital, to reassure patients staff were not unwittingly carrying the virus. 

But hospital trust bosses say they are still waiting for clarity on plans for regular testing. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it was focusing on routine testing in care homes.

Prof Alderson was speaking at a Health Select Committee meeting about the necessary steps to get all NHS services back up and running. He said: "It's absolutely essential to regain public confidence that we are able to test our staff regularly."

It would be "pragmatic" for testing to take place "about twice weekly", he added, because it was known that the available tests were not perfect.

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Source: BBC News, 17 June 2020