Wera Writes to Matt Hancock on Local Testing Fiasco

15 September 2020

In a letter sent today to the Health Secretary, Wera Hobhouse asked for urgent action to ensure that anyone in Bath displaying symptoms of Covid-19 is able to get a test.

The letter was sent following multiple requests for help from local constituents who have been unable to secure a Covid test for themselves or their families.

In the letter, Wera Hobhouse asks Matt Hancock to address “a number of serious issues” and to urgently “take steps to create a robust system to test, trace and isolate” across the country.

She highlights specific problems that constituents have brought to her including technical difficulties with the Government website meaning that they must refresh the website for hours in order to secure a test slot, being sent to test centres as far away as Exeter and Cardiff, and the continued absence of a walk-in testing centre in Bath.

Wera said:
 
“The Government have spent months telling the nation how impressive their testing system is but when push comes to shove, and the number of people experiencing Covid symptoms start to rise, we have seen it all fall apart.

“I am hearing again and again from families – especially those with school-aged children – who are unable to secure a test and are stuck at home for 14 days. Everyone I have spoken with is acting responsibly, isolating their households and taking precautions. And yet the impact is very real on the financial, physical, and mental wellbeing of these families.

“I am concerned that with testing becoming scarce and so many different issues deterring people from taking tests, a minority may decide to be less careful and put vulnerable people in our community at risk. We know that testing is key to being able to keep schools and businesses open and it is simply unacceptable that people in Bath are not able to access these services.”