A worried husband fears nurses working in hospitals could spread coronavirus due to them being moved between wards.
Nurses say they must stick to their own wards during outbreaks of winter vomiting bugs but they claim the same rules are not being enforced in hospitals with Covid-19.
John Watson, 58, is terrified his wife, other staff and patients are being put at risk from the movement between wards at University Hospital Wishaw.
John said: “My wife was a nurse for 39 years and retired in December but she went back to do bank shifts at Wishaw General on a Covid ward.
“She’s never been tested and was told she was not a priority because she only works part-time. My wife doesn’t want to stir the pot but I’m really worried about her. I love her to bits but I know a lot of the other nurses who work there and don’t want any of them to get this.
“I phoned the hospital last week and spoke to a senior staff nurse who told me they don’t automatically test nurses for Covid-19.
“It is only done if nurses request one or they show signs of symptoms.
“Nurses should be tested every week. The Government tests everyone over 70 every four days they are in hospital.
“If they can afford to do that, they can afford to look after nurses.”
It comes after figures revealed 901 patients had caught Covid-19 in hospital, with 218 of them dying of the infection, despite having been in for a separate condition.
John added: “My wife’s was working on a Covid ward but was then told to go down to A&E in the same shift.
“Surely there should be mandatory testing for nurses. If they start showing symptoms then it’s too late.”
Mark Kennedy, NHS Lanarkshire general manager for Salus occupational health, insisted the health board takes very seriously its obligation to protect staff in these very difficult times.
He continued: “We are focused on providing safe methods of working for all our staff, regardless of which clinical area they work in, in line with national guidance, including providing personal protective equipment (PPE).
“NHS Lanarkshire continues to undertake testing of symptomatic healthcare workers and/or their symptomatic household members. We have enough capacity to ensure all staff with symptoms can be tested and have introduced a self-referral web portal to enable increased access to testing for our employees.”
