Oral Answers to Questions

Daniel Zeichner Excerpts

Tuesday 1st September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Edward Argar]

The Department is putting in place a multi-layered approach to help to ensure continuity of supply of medicines and medical products in any case that might fall out of the negotiations and the end of the transition period. We are confident that we will maintain continuity of supply.

[Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)]

What recent assessment he has made of the availability of covid-19 testing for GPs required to attend care homes.

[The Minister for Patient Safety, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (Ms Nadine Dorries)]

GPs with symptoms can be tested through the self-referral portal. In addition, we are launching pilots in Northamptonshire, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire to provide regular covid-19 testing for professionals who visit care homes regularly and provide services within 1 metre of residents.

[Daniel Zeichner]

That is all in the future, of course. I was talking to GPs in Cambridge last week, and they told me about the difficulty they have with getting tested before going into care homes. Indeed, one of them told me she had to pretend to be a care worker to get a test. That cannot be right after all this time, can it?

[Ms Dorries]

As I said, the pilots are now being launched in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire to provide regular covid-19 testing for professionals, and I think that problem has probably been resolved.