Test and protect

What will help you and those you know take part in the Test and Protect system?

Why the contribution is important

The Scottish Government has committed to engaging with the public and is interested to hear your thoughts on this topic.

by ScottishGovernment on October 05, 2020 at 08:55AM

Current Rating

Average rating: 2.8
Based on: 5 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Ursula October 05, 2020 at 18:42

    More information about it. More transparency about it.

  • Posted by angel October 05, 2020 at 19:05

    Test and protect is not working. I tried to book a test every day for a week in early September constantly refreshing the page. There were no home kits available and the only test sites offered to me were in Telford or London. I live in Stirling!
    The testing system needs to be removed from private hands and given to public health. People show be able to get tested locally by their GP. It is wrong to completely bypass the established health system to deal with a health crisis.

  • Posted by Sam424 October 05, 2020 at 20:25

    The fact that the Scottish and English app are not compatible is frankly just idiotic. I don’t know the reasons behind why this couldn’t be developed by compromise and professionalism between the UK nations, but what it has achieved is to ensure that the test and trace system is pointless if you cross the border. Many people live and work across it, it isn’t made clear when you download both apps that you need to turn one off to allow the other to work. The fact that they are based on the same underlying technology just makes it so much more inefficient that two were made when one would have been sufficient. & now there needs to be a work around made. It belittles the attempts to get test and trace to work across the UK

  • Posted by HappyPumpkin81 October 05, 2020 at 21:20

    I don't think it works.

  • Posted by Genster1985 October 05, 2020 at 23:12

    Community nurses to be offered testing. Health Visitors are visiting numerous households delivering the majority of the Universal Health Visiting Pathway, albeit using PPE. However there is potential that they are being exposed to the virus whilst visiting vulnerable babies. There is a reliance on the public being honest, however many are not and inviting Health Visitors into their homes without disclosing that they should be self isolating. We need to protect our community nurses, for the same reasons as testing in care homes.

  • Posted by FionaS8691 October 05, 2020 at 23:28

    Booking a test in rural areas is difficult even with the MTU’s the booking system is a shambles

  • Posted by Avocado October 06, 2020 at 06:38

    More encouragement and incentive to use test and protect. I have used the system twice when one of my children was showing symptoms. The first time we had to wait in for nearly 3 days for results, and it was thought our test had been lost, the second time less than 24 hours, which was good, but we have a car so this would be difficult if we did not drive. It’s a long time to isolate if your gut feeling is it’s not covid, but a cough is one of the symptoms that is necessary to test for so we did. A long wait for results is definitely something that would put us off getting tested. And also the fact that more positive tests just seem to lead to lockdowns, which feel like a punishment for a community, but we were trying to do the right thing with regards to the school etc.

  • Posted by AuroraB October 06, 2020 at 20:28

    We need an independent testing system. If the whole thing is relying on Serco getting its act together, there are bound to be problems. There is no reason Scotland wouldn't be able to set up its own effective testing system as similarly sized European countries have.

  • Posted by zuzan October 06, 2020 at 20:36

    Support key workers for people self isolating. Provide a "key support worker" for those being asked to self isolate. To provide practical advice and moral support to help people do the right thing. A key support worker could check in with the household perhaps twice a day, to check they had food, supplies, be an advocate for them liaising with employers, accessing services and benefits etc. the 3rd sector could be asked to help provide this for households self isolating. It would help people feel more confident about being able to isolate and do the right thing.

  • Posted by slimbofat October 07, 2020 at 11:31

    Not threatening to fine people who are trying to follow the rules - it not an incentive to go and get tested if you are only experiencing minor symptoms if you are then required to quarantine or face a fine or become a criminal.

  • Posted by APragmatist October 10, 2020 at 16:45

    I am hearing a lot of negativity about T&P and am not sure I would get advice I can trust. I work in the NHS and I know how confused even my nursing colleagues are about this issue.
    I think the government needs to be more open about the data they are gathering and how things are working and apologise if they are not working and tell us what improvements are being made.

  • Posted by skateMom October 11, 2020 at 17:55

    We need to listen to Devi Sridhar who says that testing and tracing is the only way to regain any semblance of normal life. This is so important in identifying who has the virus, and containing the spread. If we don't get testing and tracing correct, we'll never get out of this cycle. I'd like to be able to get a test, get my result within 24 hours then go get some proper dental treatment for example. If we know we don't have the virus, we can go about our normal lives. However always living with the risk of having it and not actually knowing one way or the other means that we always need to take precautions. Testing is the way to gain more freedom as well as keep the virus at bay.
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