Coronavirus: Fears over care home test cuts in north Wales

There is "real concern" about plans to reduce Covid-19 testing from weekly to fortnightly at care homes in north Wales, warn social services bosses.

In an email sent on behalf of managers in several counties, officials said the move was "premature", given that Wales could be "heading towards a second wave".

Conservative Member of the Senedd Darren Millar condemned the proposal.

The Welsh Government said it was taking steps to boost testing resources.

Plaid Cymru said weekly tests must continue.

In an email seen by BBC Wales, Nicola Stubbins, corporate director of communities at Denbighshire Council, said: "Our view is that there are still pockets of new positive tests every couple of days and it would be a mistake to change the current practice.

"Whilst north Wales doesn't have the highest prevalence of positive cases it still has the highest cumulative rate.

"There is also our proximity to areas in England that have had temporary lockdown measures implemented."

She added there would be significant local political concern if testing was reduced, given that all the current indications are that community transmission is increasing rapidly.

The concern comes after an increased demand for coronavirus tests in recent weeks caused capacity issues across the UK.

On Friday, mobile units run under the Lighthouse labs partnership were capped in Wales, to 60 tests for each unit, by the UK government.

Mario Kreft, Chairman of Care Forum Wales, who also runs a number of care homes, said the sector was in "very dangerous waters".

"The most important thing to people running care homes is capacity - capacity to get tests done, and capacity to turn the results around quickly.

"Everyone on the ground is trying their best, but the system can be a nightmare even as it's currently organised."

Conservative politicians in north Wales have also condemned the proposal, saying the area needs more testing capacity rather than less.

Darren Millar, MS for Clwyd West, said any plan to reduce testing, particularly in care homes, would be "completely unacceptable".

"I am alarmed to hear that Covid-19 testing resources in north Wales are being reduced in order to ramp up testing capacity in south Wales," he said.

"The people of north Wales should not be disadvantaged and put at risk as a result of a south Wales centric approach to managing resources by the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales."

He urged the Welsh Government to "abandon these discriminatory plans so that everyone in Wales can have access to tests when and where they need them with results processed in a timely manner".

Plaid Cymru health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: "The Welsh Government must absolutely continue to test weekly in care homes to protect residents. Those in care homes are among the most vulnerable to Covid-19 - they cannot be let down yet again by the government.

"The absence of sufficient testing capacity to deal with the spikes in part of the south is a direct result of the Welsh Government's over reliance on the UK wide Lighthouse network rather than developing Welsh resources and expertise.

"Rather than putting people at risk, rapid changes should be make in how testing is done, with a far heavier reliance on Welsh testing centres and labs over which we would have more control."

The Welsh Government said issues with the UK-wide testing run by Lighthouse labs were ongoing and it was taking steps to boost capacity.

"We need to see an urgent, sustainable solution to these ongoing issues affecting the Lighthouse Lab system and we will be continuing to press for these improvements.

"We have invested to boost our testing capacity and we are taking urgent action to switch over testing facilities to Welsh laboratories to increase capacity through the mobile testing units while the UK government resolves these issues with the Lighthouse system."