Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the scientific human resource requirements necessary to support a significant increase in covid-19 testing.
The Department has made assessments of the resource allocations across the testing programme needed to increase testing capacity and support the Government’s ambition that anyone who needs a test can get one. This has included discussing staff prioritisation across a range of organisations supporting the programme, recruiting staff and volunteers and seeking further support from the academic and life sciences sectors.
Anyone who is able to support the Government’s programme to increase testing capacity, including offers of laboratory capacity should submit their offers via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-the-government-increase-coronavirus-covid-19-testing-capacity