Working conditions for Test and Protect staff are toxic, warn Labour
Test and Protect staff are working in “toxic” environments due to being overwhelmed by demands for the service, it has been claimed, as Covid-19 cases continue to be recorded at high levels.
Raising the concerns in a letter to health secretary Humza Yousaf, Paul O’kane called on the Scottish Government to hire additional staff to help deal with the increased workload and said employees were left “stressed and under pressure”.
The Scottish Labour MSP’S letter states: “There have been reports on the working conditions in NHS Test and Protect that have been described as “toxic” as staff
are being overwhelmed due to the increase of infection rate and as such morale is at an all-time low.
"We know that one of the most vital components to the limiting of further spread of the virus is through the work of the staff at NHS Test and
Protect. These characterisations of NHS Test and Protect asatoxicworkplacearetherefore deeply concerning.” Almost four million people have had one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and almost three million have had both doses.
However, Test and Protect has been buckling under the pressure of high case numbers, with more than 40 per cent of cases missing the World Health Organisation’s [WHO] target of being contacted by contact tracers within 72 hours.
Last week the system was working better with just 6.1 per cent of all cases missing the 72-hour deadline.
The WHO states that 80 per cent of all cases should be contacted within those first three days.