Lack of Covid testing in County Durham laid bare by health bosses

Like much of the country, residents in County Durham have reportedly struggled booking PCR tests for ‘numerous’ testing sites, as well as acquiring the asymptomatic lateral flow tests (LFT) from pharmacies, as figures of Covid-19 and the Omicron variant surge.

In the latest government data, published on December 28, County Durham currently has 3261 cases of Covid-19 – with the whole of England reporting a daily total of 129,471.

Despite the rising case numbers both locally and nationally, leading health experts in the region have now warned that “inconsistent” supply issues could be behind the lack of both tests.

This latest update comes after the government NHS website ran out of lateral flow tests yesterday (December 29), while displaying a message telling people to visit their local pharmacy instead.

However, Pete Horrocks, superintendent pharmacist for Knights Pharmacy, who has centres in County Durham, has noted that the supply issues for lateral flow tests are just as “dire” as they are in a national capacity.

Pete Horrocks, superintendent pharmacist for Knights Pharmacy, who has centres in County Durham, stood outside 10 Downing Street, London.

The health expert said the increase in demand for lateral flow and PCR tests over Christmas and new year could have a “knock on effect” heading into 2022 and has laid bare the impact it’s having on the health sector across County Durham.

Yesterday (December 29), as he worked in a Knights Pharmacy in Bishop Auckland, Mr Horrocks saw first-hand what it was like to run out of lateral flow tests.

He said: “Ever since the Prime Minister advised that lateral flow tests would be readily used moving forward, the supply chain has been failing ever since. On a daily basis, we’ve tried to get our hands on them, like most people have, but we are struggling to cope.

Mr Horrocks has highlighted the positives of an increase in testing but has also hit out at the government for their handling of lateral and PCR testing in England.

“My issue with this is that the government shouldn’t have relied on just one wholesaler for the tests, and instead, spread them across a number of companies.

“As the Omicron variant is ripping through parts of the UK right now, pharmacy staff are having to pick up the slack of the websites that haven’t got any lateral flow tests.

“It’s frustrating that we’re having to turn some people away because there’s not enough supply capacity – and I expect this to carry into the first few weeks of 2022.”

Yesterday (December 29) there appeared to be no lateral flow or PCR tests on the government site.

As well as lateral flow tests, Mr Horrocks added that the delay in PCR tests for his health workers at Knights Pharmacy has meant that staff in the care sector can’t return to work – effectively creating a staffing issue in County Durham.

Meanwhile, the government’s Covid-19 website shows that PCR tests in the North East are ‘readily available. However, users of the testing sites in County Durham have said that the “reality couldn’t be more different”.

One resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, told The Northern Echo that they were unable to book a test over the Christmas period, despite having symptoms of Covid-19 and having the transport to get them to a testing site.

Read more: Covid self-isolation period cut from 10 to 7 days

They said: “The wait for a test is ridiculous and something that you could have maybe suspected earlier in the pandemic, but it’s not right that people who potentially have the virus having to wait to know whether they have Covid-19 and then delay the self-isolation period”.

The issue with the capacity for lateral flow tests and PCR tests nationally and regionally is expected to continue to get worse as the country approaches New Year’s Eve after Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged revellers to take a coronavirus test ahead of any celebrations they may be having. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people celebrating New Year's Eve to do lateral flow tests before embarking on festivities.

While visiting a vaccination clinic in Milton Keynes yesterday (December 29), Mr Johnson told reporters: “I think everybody should enjoy New Year but in a cautious and sensible way.

“Take a test, ventilation, think about others – but, above all, get a booster.”

Mr Johnson encouraged punters to enjoy the night in a “cautious and sensible way” by ordering a test and booking a booster jab – but pharmacies have warned of “huge” problems with lateral flow deliveries and PCRs are not available to order online for most of the UK.

Mr Johnson was at a vaccination centre in Milton Keynes yesterday (December 29) to encourage the vaccination roll-out and testing.

The chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, Leyla Hannbeck, has said patients are often unable to find the Covid-19 tests in pharmacies because of low and “inconsistent” supplies.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier this week, Ms Hannbeck said: “What our members are telling us is that demand for the lateral flow tests is very high at the moment due to the current guidelines around self-isolation.

“But, unfortunately, because of the issues around supply being patchy and inconsistent, it means that those who come for the test don’t always get it, which is very stressful not just for the pharmacy team but for the patient.

In a repeat of events in the weeks before Christmas, the Government website reported that there were no PCR tests available for people including key workers in England yesterday (December 29).

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has acknowledged a global shortage of lateral flow and PCR tests was impacting the UK during a phone call with Tory MP Sir Roger Gale.

However, shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, has described the dearth of supplies as a “total shambles” caused by “the Conservative Government’s incompetence”.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting (left) and health secretary Sajid Javid (right).

The Labour MP said: “The failure to make enough tests available weeks after they became a requirement is a total shambles.

“People are trying to do the right thing, follow the Government’s own advice and test themselves regularly, but are prevented by the Conservative Government’s incompetence.”

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who are responsible for UK-wide public health protection, said tests may be temporarily unavailable on the Government website at points throughout the day due to “exceptionally high demand” and urged people not to order more tests before using the ones they have.

Some stores have messages on the door about the lack of lateral flow tests.

A spokesperson for the UKHSA said: “During periods of exceptional demand there may be temporary pauses in ordering or receiving tests, to ensure we manage distribution across the system and support changing requirements for LFD and PCR tests.

“Reduced postal schedules also impact on delivery capacity over the Christmas period.

“We encourage people to re-visit the site every few hours if they are unable to order tests as more will become available – and to please ensure they are making use of any tests they already have at home before ordering or collecting more.”