Sheffield City Council has warned care home providers not to use the government’s much-hailed rapid COVID tests over doubts about their accuracy.

In an email to care home owners, seen by Sky News, the Labour-run local authority said the COVID-19 Lateral Flow Tests (LFT), which boast a result in as little as 15 minutes, appeared to show an “unacceptably high risk” of not detecting the virus.

The government had hoped the rapid tests would enable family members to visit their loved ones in care homes without the risk of spreading the disease.

Pilot schemes have been set up across the country to trial the technology, which uses a swab kit to detect for COVID-19 without the need for a laboratory.

It is understood the council asked the government for technical data on the accuracy of the tests, but has yet to receive it.

In an email Sara Storey, head of access and prevention at Sheffield City Council, wrote: “We have recently been made aware that the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) are due to begin rolling out Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) kits to care homes very soon.

“Sheffield City Council cannot be assured of the accuracy of the LFT kits in high risk sensitive settings such as care homes.

“When used in practice the performance of the LFT kits appears to show an unacceptable high risk of not correctly detecting infected individuals.

“We are urgently seeking clarification on this matter from DHSC. In the meantime, we are advising providers not to use LFT kits in care home settings in relation to residents, staff or visitors until we can gain assurances of their effectiveness.

“Whilst we understand that this may be disappointing news for some people, the safety of residents, staff and visitors in care homes is of paramount importance to us.”

It is a major blow to one of the government’s key weapons against COVID-19.

The LFT kits have been trialled in the Liverpool City region where more than 140,000 people have been tested.

The rapid testing kit is seen as crucial because it highlights those people who have the disease but do not show symptoms.

:: Subscribe to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Nicola Richards, managing director of Palms Row Healthcare, which owns two residential nursing homes in the city, said: “We agree with the steps being taken by Sheffield City Council, the health and lives of our residents and staff should be our priority.

“The government should wait for pilots to be complete before they are rolled out to care homes.

“This roll out is premature and could give false hope to families and residents. It could also put the lives of the most vulnerable at risk.

“Unfortunately it’s another example of confused messaging from national government.”

Sheffield City Council was unavailable for comment.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told Sky News: “We understand the pain and very real consequences of loved ones being separated, and we are doing everything we can to allow people to come together and help improve the wellbeing of residents.

“We must also get the balance right between reuniting families and ensuring staff and residents of all ages in care homes are safe and well, while preventing the transmission of COVID-19.

“We are trialling testing of visitors to people in care homes to give families more opportunities to reunite and evaluations from Public Health England and the University of Oxford show these tests are accurate and sensitive enough to be used in the community, including for asymptomatic people.”

Source: Read Full Article