‘Faster results would transform residents’ lives’
RAPID coronavirus tests would ‘completely transform’ the lives of residents, a care home manager has said.
Louise Axtell, the boss of Cumnor Hill House in Oxford, said those who live there are left ‘worrying they’re going to die’ for up to seven days while they wait for results.
‘At times we have been on the next week’s test round before the others have arrived, or the results are inconclusive,’ she said, adding that a 20-minute test would help enormously.
Miss Axtell said the 60 residents at the £1,500per-week home are often unnecessarily isolated in their rooms if they develop a fever – which can be caused by common ailments such as a urinary tract infection. But they must remain under strict isolation, known as barrier nursing, until the test results come through. ‘It impacts their emotional wellbeing’, she said. ‘They’re left sitting panicking for days, worrying if they’re going to die.
‘Every time I get a phone call from a staff member I’m anxious they’re going to tell me a resident has a temperature.’
Speaking about the impact rapid lab-free testing would have on the Berkley Care Group home, she said: ‘It would enable people to feel safe to visit. People could be tested on arrival and have meaningful interactions with their loved ones.’
She added: ‘It doesn’t make sense to me, why are they not making it available for the most vulnerable.’
Chilie Sibelo, manager of Arlington House, in Hove, East Sussex, said fast tests would help lift the ‘anxiety and panic’ she and her staff feel every day. ‘It feels like we are constantly waiting’, Miss Sibelo said.