Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 11 November 2020
I remind members that I have a daughter who is on the front line in the Scottish NHS. As I rise to close on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives, I thank the Labour Party for using some of its debating time to bring this important debate to the chamber.
As one might imagine, there is much agreement among members on all sides of the chamber as regards the incredible debt of gratitude that we owe our NHS and our health and social care workers for their dedication and compassion. Those attributes have been highlighted specifically during the pandemic, but we need to remember that that is how those workers behave throughout their careers.
Members also agree that routine weekly Covid-19 testing for all health and social care workers would be a good thing, as it would protect not only front-line staff but the patients whom they look after. Monica Lennon began her speech by reminding members that Covid remains life-threatening, and I am sure that we would all want to send our condolences to all those who have lost loved ones to the virus.
The issue is not just testing capacity but the Scottish Government’s ability to deploy and utilise that capacity. For example, are there enough qualified personnel on the ground? It is also about the ability to turn the tests around and deliver the results timeously.
As has been pointed out in the debate, capacity has been ramped up too slowly, and capacity is going unused. As we all know, there are far too many messages from our constituents telling us that testing for our front-line health and social care workers is sporadic. The truth of the matter is that the Scottish Government was unprepared, despite all the warning signs from around the globe as the virus made its way towards us. We have been all too aware of the PPE shortages and the scramble to find ways to fill the gap.
Donald Cameron’s amendment highlights contact tracing as a key weapon in tackling Covid-19, as it offers the ability to isolate those who may have been in contact with the virus and thereby break the infection cycle. Donald Cameron also alluded to the fact that data from the Government are not necessarily always consistent and accurate; if the public is to have confidence in the programme, that will have to change.
We were all aware of the likelihood that a second wave was going to happen, and yet after eight months we still have not got the testing regime right. I would have hoped and expected that by now, the Scottish Government’s response would be a bit more sophisticated and comprehensive than it actually is. By now, we should have been making the case for testing all our teaching staff and our other emergency services. What about our military personnel abroad, especially those who will be coming home for Christmas? We could throw in students too, who are struggling just now in trying to get home for Christmas, and the family care givers who visit our nursing homes.
The reality is that there has been a lack of forward planning and that the Scottish Government is still too reactive, rather than proactive, in tackling the virus. The virus may have been unpredictable, but it is entirely predictable that we would need testing capacity and the ability to deploy it.
The cabinet secretary mentioned that we will require 200,000 tests per week in the health service before we start to consider testing for the groups that I mentioned. Anas Sarwar made the point that the vaccine could be here before the issues with testing and test and protect are resolved.
Not only should the Scottish Government introduce routine weekly Covid-19 testing for all our health and social care workers but it should have been done long before now. The problem is that I am not sure, even after all that we have learned about the virus in the past eight months, that the Scottish Government could do that even if it wanted to.
16:23