- From the outset of the pandemic, the government has failed to set out a coherent testing strategy which inspired confidence.' Only 18% of trust leaders agreed that the government has had the right approach to testing to meet the needs of trusts and the communities they serve.
- The current approach to testing – introduced in May – has inspired slightly more confidence among trust leaders, with 32% saying it will meet the needs of the communities they serve over the next one to three months, though this is still outweighed by those who disagree with this statement (37%).
- Only four in ten (40%) trust leaders believe their stated priorities for testing are deliverable in the next one to three months.
- Trusts are working hard to provide testing to their communities and are delivering under the current national COVID-19 testing strategy. Significant work has gone into the steady increase in testing capacity, and 83% of trust leaders believe they are meeting testing requirements under current government guidance.
- A minority of trusts are still struggling to meet current requirements. Generally, these trusts are not in the acute sector and have not had the benefit of access to sufficient resources, including on-site testing laboratories.
- Turnaround times for testing are encouraging overall, with 70% of trusts ‘usually’ or ‘always’ receiving results the next day. However, trusts using laboratories in partnering organisations, or lighthouse labs, are far less likely to receive a quick turnaround in results.
- Variation in turnaround times continues to block progress in recovering non-COVID services. Insufficient capacity to quickly test staff and patients, and a shortage of supplies are the largest barriers to resuming services. If resources for more testing were available, over three quarters of trust leaders (77%) assigned a high priority to improving the current standard of testing (including turnaround time) for symptomatic patients and staff.
- There needs to be greater local involvement and buy-in for national plans, particularly as the next phase of the pandemic is focused on responses to local outbreaks. A large majority of trust leaders (70%) are eager to take on a greater role in co-ordinating testing for health and care within their local area.