Concerns over lack of coronavirus testing appointments

Councillors in Herefordshire have raised concerns over the lack of local slots for coronavirus test appointments for key workers.

Councillor Gemma Davies pointed out that the nearest testing centres for people in Herefordshire were more than 80 miles away in Leicester and Leighton Buzzard.

“You took a brilliant fast and local service being run by Wye Valley NHS Trust and Herefordshire Council and have replaced it with this,” she said to health secretary Matt Hancock on Twitter.

Coun Alan Seldon shared her concerns and said it was unbelievable that on May 3 the closest testing centre to Hereford was Belfast.

“Apparently there was a glitch on the system which didn’t show any English sites at all,” he said.

“Our nearest testing site was Leicester. The government were expecting people from Herefordshire to drive a round trip of 160 miles to get a test.

“Leicester isn’t the easiest place to get to.

“Some of the staff at Wye Valley Nhs Trust are now getting tests locally.

“The worst thing is what we set up at thePoint4 in Hereford with the clinical commissioning group and Wye Valley NHS Trust was working perfectly well.

“To have the government come in and ride rough shod over it was bad.

“The Merton Meadow appointment system has been chaos.

“That’s why people who’ve not been feeling very well have been sitting in cars for two hours waiting to get into the drive through centre. That’s not right, that’s bonkers.”

Council chief executive Alistair Neill told last week’s cabinet meeting that the county was the first area in West Mercia to arrange for the military to provide a local testing.

“On Monday 27 April – 98 key workers/household members were tested,” he said.

“This increased to 142 people on Tuesday 28 April. There are 150 slots available per day.”

Health and social care staff are prioritised for testing and they will extend the offer to over 65s.