Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Trusts in England are piloting routine PCR covid testing for staff.

We have made testing available to all symptomatic National Health Service staff as a priority. We are also testing those who are asymptomatic in specific circumstances where appropriate. For NHS workers specifically, NHS England has recently published guidance on when testing of this nature might be appropriate, including where an incident has taken place, an outbreak or where high prevalence has been established.

Following a pilot with 34 trusts, the NHS is now rolling out regular testing of asymptomatic patient-facing NHS staff to include all trusts, using lateral flow testing devices.