DWP staff in Wales ‘told to go to England for virus test’

SOME UK Government staff in Wales were told to travel to England for a Covid-19 test.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has written to some staff in Wales to instruct them to drive to test centres in England if they exhibit symptoms.

In a letter dated May 4 from the DWP seen by the Western Mail, a DWP employee is told: “We have managed to resolve many access to test issues for colleagues in England and Scotland but Wales is unfortunately proving to be more of a challenge.”

It added that though DWP workers are listed “critical workers in Wales, we do not currently have priority access to testing arranged by the Welsh Government”.

It said the reason for this is the Welsh Government is prioritising access for health and social care workers, police, fire service and prison staff.

The letter therefore advises to travel to a test site in England instead.

When approached by the Western Mail a Welsh Government spokeswoman said it was not the case that DWP workers needed to travel to England.

The spokeswoman said: “At present to book a test, critical workers and their employers should follow the nearest local referral arrangement in place, as detailed on our website. Public Health Wales have been in contact with DWP about the referral system in Wales.”

The DWP told the Western Mail it has now updated its advice, saying that staff should seek testing in Wales if required.

A DWP spokeswoman said: “This is old guidance. DWP staff across all nations are now prioritised for testing and are aware of how to access it in their areas.”

Plaid Cymru MS Helen Mary Jones called the situation “absurd”.

The shadow minister for economy, tackling poverty and transport said: “We should not be in the position where key workers in Wales have to travel to England to receive access to a test.

“In Wales the message is clear – stay as close to your home as possible.

“However, if you’re a DWP colleague living in Wales exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms, you’re being asked to drive across the country to receive priority access to a test. This situation is not only absurd, the decision-making behind it defies logic.”

FRONTLINE workers in England, including those in the NHS, will be the first to get a new antibody test for Covid-19, England’s deputy chief medical officer said yesterday.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said it was clear that people who had Covid-19 generated an antibody response, but it would “take time” to understand whether in all cases people developed against coronavirus.

He said data needed to be gathered over time to understand whether any immune response offered lifelong protection or just for a few years. immunity

Public Health England (PHE) has approved a new test from the pharmaceutical giant Roche after experts at its Porton Down facility gave it the green light.

The test, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously called a “game-changer”, picks up 100% of cases where somebody has had coronavirus in the past, and can be used on people who experienced no symptoms.

Prof Van-Tam said the test would be “incredibly important” in the weeks and months ahead, telling the Number 10 press briefing: “I anticipate that it will be rapidly rolled out in the days and weeks to come – as soon as it is practical.

“I also anticipate that the focus will be on the National Health Service and on carers in the first instance.”

Experts believe those who have had Covid-19 develop a degree of immunity, meaning the test could prove a useful tool for helping to ease lockdown restrictions.

Number 10 said the new antibody test would “certainly” be available on the NHS, but commercial discussions with Roche are ongoing.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the idea of an “immunity certificate” was also still under consideration if science showed that people developed immunity to Covid-19.

Professor John Newton, national coordinator of the UK Coronavirus Testing Programme, said that although it was still unclear to what extent the presence of antibodies indicated immunity, the test was a “very positive development” and a “very reliable marker of past infection”.

He added: “This in turn may indicate some immunity to future infection, although the extent to which the presence of antibodies indicates immunity remains unclear.”

Roche said it could supply hundreds of thousands of the tests each week. The tests run on fully-automated equipment already widely installed by Roche at NHS sites across the UK.

The pharmaceutical firm said it would prioritise tests for distribution via the NHS before looking at how they may be sold to individuals.

Professor Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, said the development of the antibody test was “a good result”.

He told the BBC: “It’s a step in the right direction. In the evolution of these antibody tests, to get one that works really well is a major step forward.”

Sir John said antibodies “stick around probably for a year or two”, adding that the Roche test was the “best approved test available on the market now”.

England Health Minister Edward Argar said the Government intends to

roll out the new test to frontline workers first.

Mr Argar told the BBC: “We’re in discussion at the moment with Roche on this. It’s only just gone through the Public Health England assessment as being reliable, as doing the job, and therefore we are having those discussions.

“But we are keen to get as many as quickly as we can and get them out, primarily to the front line first, the NHS, social care and then more widely.”

Mr Argar stressed that the public could not yet get their hands on the test, saying: “We’re not in a position yet to roll it out to the public and have those tests ready to go.”