24
Mar 2020
25,000 NHS hospital patients to be tested each day for coronavirus
The prime minister has issued a call to industry leaders to develop new testing kits to establish whether people have caught the virus and developed immunity.
As criticism grows over the UK’s lack of capacity for testing frontline NHS staff and suspected cases in the community, ministers have announced measures to test up to 25,000 hospital patients a day under new government plans to ramp up testing for the disease.
The Department of Health and Social Care have said health officials were working to increase the number of tests carried out by NHS labs and Public Health England within the next month, which coincides with the expected peak in cases.
Last week, PHE and the NHS increased testing to 5,000 a day, and that number is expected to increase to 10,000 a day from next week.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said “Public safety is my top priority, and radically ramping up testing for coronavirus is a key part of our plan to protect lives.
“We are already among the best in the world for coronavirus testing and today we are launching a national effort to increase our testing capability even further.
“Our aim is to protect life, protect the most vulnerable, and relieve pressure on the NHS – so it is right that we prioritise testing for those most at risk of severe illness.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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