Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the experience of people with disabilities or learning difficulties when accessing covid-19 tests through test centres.

We are focused on making the experience of taking a COVID-19 test as straightforward as possible. NHS Test and Trace continues to work with charity partners reviewing a range of potential products and other improvements for all our customers.

NHS Test and Trace encourages consideration of all site attendee needs, both amongst staff and customers. Region Leads and Site Managers are frequently advised about the importance of disability and learning difficulty awareness and of the need to provide adequate training to staff.

Training that covers dealing with disabilities and learning difficulties is frequently reviewed to ensure that civilians who require a bespoke testing response (due to a disability or learning difficulty) are provided for. In instances where civilians have difficulty in understanding the guidance for performing a test, onsite staff can talk anyone through the process, so that they are able to perform the test satisfactorily. Further training is being planned to engender the improvement of the experience of civilians with disabilities and learning difficulties who attend testing sites.