Coronavirus testing is underway at makeshift facilities in Chessington, Brighton, and Lincoln as NHS staff are swabbed by medical workers and the military.
Dozens of vehicles were seen queueing at a test centre in the car park of the Chessington World of Adventures in Greater London today.
Frontline medical workers and members of the Armed Forces wore protective face masks, gloves, and aprons as they administered tests.
NHS staff are also being tested for Covid-19 at the AMEX Stadium in Brighton and in Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln today as the pandemic rages on.
Meanwhile, makeshift coronavirus testing facilities at Edinburgh Airport and the Ricoh Arena in Coventry have appeared empty this week.
Official statistics published yesterday show that the Government is using just over half of its daily coronavirus testing capacity.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said 21,328 tests were carried out on Thursday. But No10 has estimated the UK’s testinf capacity is now at 38,000 a day.
Ministers are continuing to struggle to explain why actual test numbers are falling so far short of what could be done during the crisis.
A member of the Armed Forces tests an NHS worker for the novel coronavirus at a testing facility at the Chessington World of Adventures Resort (April 18, 2020)
Staff and members of the Armed Forces prepare for the opening of a new testing facility for NHS workers at the AMEX Stadium in Brighton (April 18, 2020)
NHS staff carry out Coronavirus tests at a testing facility in Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln as the coronavirus pandemic continues to afflict the UK (April 18, 2020)
Meanwhile a coronavirus testing facility at Edinburgh Airport appears empty (April 16, 2020)
It comes as the Government faces condemnation from medical professionals for new guidance which means doctors and nurses in England could be asked to work without full-length gowns and to reuse items when treating coronavirus patients.
The Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Nursing said nurses should refuse to treat patients ‘as a last resort’ if they are not provided with adequate PPE.
Prof Neil Mortensen, president-elect of the RCS, said the guidance, rushed out yesterday, was disturbing and issued without consulting expert medical bodies.
He added: ‘The new guidance implies that, even in the operating theatre, surgeons and their teams may not require proper PPE. This is simply unacceptable.’
Union leaders now say faith in Matt Hancock is ‘draining away’ after the change in PPE guidance, suggesting he might have to consider his position.
Rachel Harrison, national officer of the GMB, said the union raised critical protective equipment supply issues with the Government more than a month ago.
She said the Government’s PPE plan is ‘falling apart’, adding that ‘key workers on the front line’ are ‘paying the price for this litany of failure’.
‘It appears Government guidance is being hastily redrawn based on availability, not on evidence or best practice,’ Ms Harrison said. ‘This is downright dangerous territory and one that will amplify the concerns of NHS staff.
‘The Health Secretary now has serious and urgent questions to answer.
A coronavirus testing facility at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry appears empty (April 18, 2020)
People are seen queuing in their cars outside a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures amid the coronavirus pandemic (April 18, 2020)
A person is tested at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures as the spread of Covid-19 continues (April 18, 2020)
Meanwhile a coronavirus testing facility at Edinburgh Airport appears empty (April 16, 2020)
‘Trust is draining away. He must urgently explain how this apparently non-clinical decision was made to downgrade public health advice in apparent contravention of global standards and previous advice.
‘GMB won’t tolerate a situation where our members are pushed on to the front line without the basic kit they need to do their jobs safely. NHS and ambulance staff will now face unacceptable risks as a result of gross ministerial incompetence.’
The BMA labelled the situation a ‘sorry state of affairs’ with doctors feeling unprotected at work despite the UK being two months into the crisis.
Frontline medics fear some NHS trusts could run out of gowns and coveralls this weekend with stocks now ‘exhausted’, with the anger coming amid fears they might have to treat virus patients with only plastic aprons for protection.
New guidance was issued this week amid reports at least 60 NHS trusts were expecting to exhaust their stocks of gowns. This includes all hospitals in London, which reportedly need tens of thousands of gowns delivered urgently.
People are seen queuing in their cars outside a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures amid the coronavirus pandemic (April 18, 2020)
A coronavirus testing facility at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry appears empty (April 18, 2020)
Meanwhile a coronavirus testing facility at Edinburgh Airport appears empty (April 16, 2020)
A person is seen queuing in their car at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures amid the coronavirus pandemic (April 18, 2020)
The guidance from Public Health England sets out what front-line staff should do where there are no gowns left. Options include borrowing from other hospitals with supplies, wearing coveralls or using the flimsy plastic aprons.
It is a significant U-turn from previous PHE guidance, which required full-length waterproof surgical gowns for all high-risk hospital procedures.
The move will prompt fears more doctors and nurses will become infected due to a lack of PPE, with one leading health figure saying the situation is worrying.
A BMA survey of more than 6,000 doctors across the country said a significant amount of them remain without the protection they need to guard against Covid-19.
Another poll by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found half of nurses have felt pressure to work without appropriate protective equipment during the crisis.
BMA council chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: ‘We shouldn’t still be hearing that doctors feel unprotected when they go to work.’
