Thank you for contacting me about votes recently on the Opposition Day Debate for testing for all NHS staff and care staff.
I voted against this motion. The reasons are quite straightforward:
- We already test all frontline staff for COVID
- The bill required ALL staff to have testing – this would include NHS staff who are currently working from home and staff who have no physical contact with patients and all admin staff, in fact all staff, even those who do not have patient-facing roles
- The scientific advice says that this proposal is of no benefit to anybody
The scientific advice is and has always been very clear: if you feel that you have symptoms then you are to self isolate and get a test. A test for COVID will only tell you if you have it at that particular moment in time.
Blanket testing, as the Opposition Motion wanted, is just a complete waste of valuable time and money and is of no help in fighting the virus. It is also against scientific advice.
It is for the above reasons that I voted against the motion.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
July 2020