Doctors, nurses carers and other workers who do not have coronavirus symptoms will not have access to free testing anymore.

Routine asymptomatic testing for the general population stopped earlier this year, when lateral flow tests became unavailable on the NHS.

But the testing continued for NHS and care staff, as well in some prison settings.

Now, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced its decision to halt testing for these people too from August 31.

However, the department also stressed that the programme would be resumed ‘should it be needed’.

Asymptomatic testing will remain in place only for people being admitted hospices, for those going into care homes and for immunocompromised patients who are going into hospital.

Anyone else tested in these settings will need to have symptoms first.

Health and Social Care secretary Steve Barclay said: ‘Thanks to the success of our world-leading vaccination roll-out, we are able to continue living with Covid and, from 31 August, we will pause routine asymptomatic testing in most high-risk settings.

‘This reflects the fact case rates have fallen and the risk of transmission has reduced, though we will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with sectors to resume testing should it be needed.

‘Those being admitted into care homes will continue to be tested. Our upcoming autumn booster programme will offer jabs to protect those at greatest risk from severe Covid, and I urge everyone who is eligible to take up the offer.’

However, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) insisted nurses should ‘continue to have access to free testing and high-quality personal protective equipment’.

Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said: ‘Nursing staff are only too aware of the terrible toll the failure to test can have on some of their most vulnerable patients.

‘Cases of Covid-19 may well be falling but this virus has still not gone away, and it is vital that there is continued vigilance to ensure patients and nursing staff are not put at risk.

‘Nursing staff must continue to have access to free testing and high-quality personal protective equipment.

‘Risk assessments, in line with health and safety legislation, should be undertaken by all healthcare staff.

‘We have all come a long way and must not risk any backwards step when health services are already under enormous pressure.’

Similarly, the director of the Relatives and Residents Association, Helen Wildbore, said: ‘This policy has been rushed through with no consultation and without sharing the data on whether asymptomatic testing is helping to keep people in care safe.’

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