Hundreds of frontline NHS workers across the UK may have been treating patients while carrying coronavirus themselves due to a delay in Government testing.
Several healthcare employees have been taken out of work since testing positive for COVID-19 despite showing no symptoms, after a recent drive to test asymptomatic staff.
The Government is refusing to say how many asymptomatic workers' tests have come back positive since widespread testing of NHS staff began and is also refusing to answer plans to manage the situation.
Sources have confirmed a number of NHS workers who were not showing any symptoms, tested positive for the virus.
NHS England South West, Livewell South West and Derriford Hospital all said they were not able to comment on the matter and all press queries were subsequently passed to the the Department of Health and Social Care [DHSC].
But the DHSC said it would not release the figures of how many asymptomatic NHS workers had tested positive for the virus as it is 'not how [the figures] are broken down'.
At the end of April it was announced as part of the second phase of the NHS response to coronavirus, that due to the increased testing capacity, regular testing would be offered to asymptomatic staff, guided by PHE and clinical advice.
In a letter from the chief executive Sir Simon Stevens and chief operating officer, Amanda Pritchard, stated the approach would be "piloted in a number of acute, community and mental health providers" and then there would be a further roll out.
A report by Imperial College London suggested that testing should be done at the end of healthcare workers' shifts.
The report stated that the results should be processed overnight, which could reduce transmission between NHS staff between 25 and 33 per cent.
"If tests were to be done at the end of a shift and results made available before the next shift, then the time delay between testing and isolation would effectively be zero, increasing effectiveness to 25-33% (and also depending on exposure during time-off)", the report said.
Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth questioned if health secretary Matt Hancock had considered the study, and if he would "look at testing all health care staff whether they’ve got symptoms or not".
Mr Hancock said that pilots to test asymptomatic NHS staff had been successful in 16 trusts across the country and the Government would be "rolling it out further".
It is not known when regular testing will be made mandatory for every NHS worker, to stop asymptomatic workers spreading the virus.
MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Luke Pollard said he feels Britain was "too slow" to go into lockdown and "too slow" on testing.
He said: “We know that not everyone with the virus shows symptoms and if we are to see easing of restrictions we need a massive role out of testing and tracing. I fear Britain was too slow to go into lockdown and too slow on testing.
It has certainly been too slow to get PPE to the frontline. I want to see the Government succeed on its testing target but it remains way off having failed to hit their 100,000 target for the last five days. I want to see greater numbers tested and tracing put in place so we can truly tackle the spread of this disease.”
MP for Plymouth Moor View, Johnny Mercer, declined to comment.
By Katie Timms
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