Craig Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, is urging the SNP to progressively wind-up the Test and Protect system and invest the money saved on new nurses for NHS Lothian.
Mr Hoy’s call comes after recent figures revealed that £211m has so far been given by the SNP Government to Test and Protect during 2021/22. If that money was diverted instead towards frontline services, Scottish Conservative Party research shows that it could deliver over 8,000 extra nurses across Scotland.
This would include an extra 1,208 nurses in NHS Lothian.
Mr Hoy says that the Test and Protect system was a valuable resource during the early stages of the pandemic, but has become increasingly redundant in recent months. Figures show that during the peak of the Omicron wave, 60% of positive cases in Scotland were not contacted within 72 hours.
Likewise, removing the need to take a confirmatory PCR test will further diminish the usefulness of Test and Protect as typically just one in five lateral flow test results are registered with the system.
The Scottish Conservatives have published a policy blueprint entitled ‘Back to Normality’ which recommends a move away from mass testing towards representative sampling, which would allow for a dramatic reduction in the resource allocated to monitor Covid.
Mr Hoy says resources must now be diverted away from Test and Protect towards supporting frontline services to help tackle ever-growing treatment backlogs and missed A&E waiting times.
He commented: “As we continue to see positive data surrounding Covid, we need to see a more targeted approach to the virus from the SNP Government.
“Part of the approach should be replacing Test and Protect.
“It was vital during many stages of the Covid crisis in helping to trace cases in NHS Lothian, but is now not serving its purpose.
“These figures are stark and show how money could be diverted towards hiring many new nurses in NHS Lothian if over £200m wasn’t being spent on Test and Protect.
“Frontline services in Lothian are in desperate need of extra money and support. A&E waiting times are being missed every week, the treatment backlog is ever-growing and heroic staff are absolutely exhausted.
“As we look beyond the pandemic, we need to see the SNP adapt to the new situation and investing in Lothian would be an ideal way to do so.”
