THE Labour-led Welsh government is stepping up its relief effort for England by sending another four million Covid-19 testing kits help ease Westminster’s latest pandemic crisis.

With pharmacies across England reporting that they have run out of testing kits, the Welsh government has already loaned six million testing kits.

It is hoped that the latest intervention will help avert further looming problems in England because, under recent Westminster rules, NHS staff and other key workers can be banned from doing their jobs if they have not been tested.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of doctors’ union the British Medical Association, said: “Being unable to get the tests means staff may not be legally allowed to work and, at a time of acute workforce shortages and winter pressures, this could be devastating for the care that can be given right across the NHS.”

Nurses’ leaders have called for nurses to be given priority for tests when kits become available. 

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen said: “As the number of staff forced into sickness absence due to Covid-19-related reasons continues to increase, it is vital staff have access to tests to protect themselves and their patients.

“We know, however, some staff continue to face problems accessing the tests online and would urge government to make the tests available for nursing staff as a priority, as well as ensuring there is the lab capacity for analysing tests.”

Explaining Wales’s latest act of solidarity, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Wales has a significant stock of lateral flow tests, sufficient to meet our needs over the weeks ahead.”