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What's the point of testing NHS staff for coronavirus?

36 replies

Tonyaster · 02/04/2020 22:10

Surely if they are clear they could then catch it that day? Are they planning to test them every single day?

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 02/04/2020 22:38

There are many many nhs staff at home isolating because a member of their family has symptoms. You need to test those family members, to get them back to work if the family member doesnt have it , yes they could still catch it, but with the right ppe the risk is mitigated, in addition not all of them are on the front line.

Also if a nhs staff member is ill, it’s better than sending them home for a week. Test them and if negative keep them at work if they are fit . If positive send them home.

In addition the situation right now is all someone has to say is my partner or kid has symptoms and they get two weeks off. There will be a small percentage of dishonesty going on sadly from people who don’t want to work. There will also be a number of staff staying home whose family members don’t have it but genuinely do have symptoms , but they need to stay home anyway

It’s the only way to keep the nhs fully mobilised with healthy people as far as possible,

KitKat1985 · 02/04/2020 22:39

Yes of course the test is to some extent only 'valid' for a short time. But if you have a staff member who has a slight cough, being able to get them back out on the floor after 3 days (which is how long it takes for test results to come through) is better than having them off the floor for 14 days. Especially in a time where the demand to have clinical staff out on the floor has never been higher.

SylvanianFrenemies · 02/04/2020 22:42

My friend works in critical care. She is at home for 2 weeks because her husband had a temperature and a headache for a few hours. Can you see that it might be helpful for her to know if he had the virus? They are fairly sure he didn't, but she has to stay away from work at a time like this.

popim · 03/04/2020 03:13

A really important part of the testing will be to see how many staff are being infected. At present we have no idea. It will help inform us as to what PPE is effective and what's not.

If staff test positive, recover and then get ill again, it will get tell us more about immunity.

If you fall ill having been in contact with loads of patients, you want to know if you've had it, and are risking passing it onto your family.

Lots of reasons really

Dongdingdong · 03/04/2020 03:22

To make the test useful, they'd have to test everyone every single day, surely?

NHS staff should be tested every day if needed as they’re on the front line. Testing those admitted to hospital also makes sense.

But mass testing of the general public is a total waste of time and resources IMO. Those who have mild symptoms are staying at home and recovering anyway - why do we need to test them?

And as others pointed out, we’d have to test people daily as they could catch it any time after testing negative. Given we have a population of 66 million, this is completely unfeasible.

Pixxie7 · 03/04/2020 03:29

I think it’s aimed at stopping nhs staff going off or staying off if they have symptoms.

canigooutyet · 03/04/2020 03:46

It's no different to any other test. You are only negative the day you tested. It doesn't mean you won't get it tomorrow, nor does it mean we shouldn't test.

Many, many staff are sitting at home, itching to get back to work. However, they need a test. Once cleared they can go back. I have a lot of temperatures, any NHS staff who lived here would have to stay in for something known as a common cold at times.

By testing when they present with symptoms it will help to reduce those they come into contact with.
I don't know about you, but I would like that reassurance that those taking care of me also have access to decent care, including testing.

It wouldn't have to be daily.
Testing will be alongside other strategies to reduce risk such as dirty and clean weeks. Testing can be done towards the end of a clean week. At least you know, every 2 weeks you have 'clean' staff.

The current untested situation won't work. We need those taking care of us tested, and if that means every hour of the day, why not? They are there, daily, breathing in something that is airborne without adequate protection.

We still haven't given them enough support. Have you seen what is heading this way? They are going to need a whole lot more than a test that they might one day get, sometimes possibly at the end of the month. And in the meantime, all those medical staff without symptoms are spreading the problem.

The numbers we are testing is shockingly bad.
Testing everyone who goes to A&E makes the figures skewed. What does my dislocated shoulder have to do with CV?

I'm actually wondering if the hold up is because of previous cuts. The little clinics that would have served well for testing purposes have been closed down. Come to think of it, a lot of nhs were then made redundant are now returning to volunteer.

But yea, I understand, they don't deserve anything. Should just have been happy three months ago to be overworked and underpaid. They should be overjoyed by now.

Chipmonkeypoopoo · 03/04/2020 04:59

Testing NHS staff to get them back to work is the exactly the point as others have said. In reality if you're putting them to work on COVID wards it doesn't matter if they catch it the next day. They can't give it to patients who already have it. If they're on a non COVID ward then the chance of them catching it is the same as you or I but we need to know they're negative so they don't give it to non-COVID patients. In Italy the general rule now is if you are working on a COVID ward and you can walk and talk it doesn't matter if you have it or not.

GrapefruitsAreNotTheOnlyFruit · 03/04/2020 07:23

The other incredibly useful thing is once they have a positive test, as soon as they are better or 7 days have gone past they are back and can stay back at work. Otherwise any new symptoms in themselves or their households mean more time off.

YangShanPo · 03/04/2020 16:26

I do get the OP point actually but I think unfortunately there is now a high possibility they do have it if they are showing symptoms and it's best to know and then hopefully once they recover they will have some immunity.

PeterWeg · 03/04/2020 16:37

It's so those self isolating with symptoms can come back to work if they're negative.

Staff have to come back regardless, if they aren't coughing.

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