Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Rachael Hamilton for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire is urging the SNP to invest the money saved from easing Covid track and trace measures on more resources for NHS Borders.
Rachael Hamilton’s call comes after recent figures revealed that £211m has so far been given by the SNP Government to Test and Protect during 2021/22.
Whilst she acknowledges that the Test and Protect system was a valuable resource during the early stages of the pandemic, it has now become increasingly redundant in recent months.
Figures show that during the peak of the Omicron wave, 60% of positive cases in Scotland were not contacted within 72 hours.
Scottish Conservative party research shows that winding down Test and Protect, as we learn to live with the virus, could fund over 8,000 extra nurses across Scotland. Proportionally, this would represent 174 new nurses in the Borders.
The Scottish Conservatives have published a policy blueprint entitled ‘Back to Normality’ which recommends a move away from mass testing towards representative sampling, which would allow for a dramatic reduction in the funding resource allocated to monitor Covid.
Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Rachael Hamilton said:
“As we continue to see positive data surrounding Covid, we need to see a more targeted approach to the virus from the SNP Government.
“Part of the approach should be winding down Test and Protect.
“It was vital during many stages of the Covid crisis, with staff working flat out to help trace cases in the Borders but is now not serving the same purpose.
“Frontline services in the Borders are in desperate need of extra money and support. A&E waiting times are being missed every week, the treatment backlog is ever growing, and heroic staff are absolutely exhausted.
“As we look beyond the pandemic, we need to see the SNP adapt to the new situation and investing in 174 new nurses would be an ideal way to do so.”
