HSJ reports that the internal NHS email containing information on how many residents and staff have tested positive is no longer reporting test results from commercial laboratories. This lack of data is making it harder for local organisations to respond to the spread of coronavirus in their area.
The email seen by HSJ states that full information is “increasingly becoming unavailable” and cannot be reported “until further notice”.The data is based only on NHS lab tests, which make up less than half of total tests now being carried out, a proportion which is still shrinking further.
The full data is needed to be able to respond to the levels of outbreak in their area, local officials and clinicians told HSJ. It is need for containment measures and track and trace measures. It is also needed for monitoring how many critical staff have tested positive, and what capacity there is for carrying out more tests.
Full story in the HSJ, 13 May 2020
