Coronavirus: DWP tells Welsh staff to use English test centres
- Published
DWP staff have been told to drive to test centres in England if they are symptomatic, according to a letter
People working for a UK government department in Wales have been told to drive to coronavirus test centres in England if they show symptoms.
In a letter seen by BBC Wales, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff are told testing in Wales is prioritised for other critical workers.
It says anyone with symptoms should go to "a test site in England".
But the Welsh Government has said this instruction is incorrect.
The letter, dated 4 May, said access to tests for staff was "proving to be more of a challenge" than in England and Scotland, suggesting workers would not have access to priority testing in Wales.
The Department for Work and Pensions said the guidance for staff has now changed.
A DWP spokesperson said: "This is old guidance. DWP staff across all nations are now prioritised for testing and are aware of how to access it in their areas."
'Not correct'
But Wales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething has denied that workers from Wales need to drive to coronavirus test centres in England.
"It's not correct. Public Health Wales are in contact with the DWP," he told BBC Radio Wales.
"Critical workers can get tested here in Wales and they are clarifying with them that members of staff can get a test. They certainly don't need to travel from parts of Wales into Bristol."
An extract from the letter
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "At present to book a test, critical workers and their employers should follow the nearest local referral arrangement in place, as detailed on our website. , external
The DWP is the UK's biggest public service department, with staff listed as critical workers in England and Wales.
It has various offices in Wales - with up to 1,700 staff set to relocate to a new headquarters in Rhondda Cynon Taff in 2021.
Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd Helen Mary Jones called it "absurd" and said it "defies logic".
Angela Burns, Conservative health spokeswoman, added: "If these reports are correct, then they show the true inability of the Welsh Government to get to grips with testing."
The letter goes on to state the message should be shared among staff in Wales "to try and manage some expectations from colleagues there, but also to let them know that we are working hard to try to resolve the issue".
The message also says:
Although DWP colleagues are listed as critical workers in Wales, they do not have priority access to testing arranged by the Welsh Government
The Welsh Government is prioritising access for tests to health and social care workers, police, fire service and prison workers
Where colleagues in Wales have Covid-19 symptoms and can travel safely to a test site in England, the DWP recommends they do
Work is ongoing to resolve the problem and staff will be told when the situation changes
Ms Jones called on the Welsh Government to use its excess testing capacity for key workers.
She said: "In Wales the message is clear - stay as close to your home as possible.
"However, if you're a DWP colleague living in Wales exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms, you're being asked to drive across the country to receive priority access to a test.
"This situation is not only absurd, the decision making behind it defies logic."
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