Photo: The empty testing site on Jim Driscoll Way, Cardiff, courtesy of Owain Hanmer
Scores of people with symptoms of Coronavirus were left in the cold today after a testing unit left early, even though they had an appointment.
When people turned up for the afternoon Covid testing slots, which had been confirmed to them in writing, they were met with an empty car park on Jim Driscoll Way, Cardiff and nothing but a collection of traffic cones. The mobile testing unit had already packed up and driven away.
Owain Hanmer was one of those who had booked the test after developing mild symptoms and had been told by the government’s booking service to turn up at the site at 2.30pm. Thursday 17th December.
However, when he arrived, the unit wasn’t there. “ [I] arrived down there a bit early and there was already a few people down there,” he told voice.wales. “But there was no mobile test centre. I asked some people if I was in the right place and a couple of other people waiting said yes and that the van had apparently just left earlier for some reason.”
He said that nobody knew why or when the van left or what was going on. “There were no signs up or anything, just a cornered off empty car park where the van should have been. Everyone was confused and angry basically.”
More people turned up until there was about 20 gathered waiting for a test they had booked. One man had come all the way from Newport, having been unable to get a test locally. “People just had no idea what was happening but were just fed up,” said Owain.
He described the situation as extremely frustrating given the current Covid situation in Wales, where data released this week showed that several Welsh council areas had the highest infection rates anywhere in Britain. Following the rapidly escalating situation, Mark Drakeford announced yesterday that it would be illegal for more than two households to mix over Christmas, having previously insisted that the four-nation guidance would remain in place and three households could get together.
The incident today comes after a long line of problems with the privatised Covid testing system that Welsh Government bought into with the Westminster Government early in the summer. The lighthouse scheme that saw testing delivered by private firms such as Deloitte and Serco was beset with problems when cases began rising again in September, following the re-opening of schools. In some cases people had to wait days before even being able to book a test, as the system struggled to cope.
After major problems, Welsh health boards decided to step in and deliver their own testing units with local councils, having wound down their operation earlier in the year on the basis that the lighthouse programme would take over. It was unclear who was running the site on Jim Driscoll way today, although Public Health Wales have been contacted for comment.
Yesterday, the New York Times revealed that billions of pounds of public money has been handed over to private firms by the UK government, many of which have close ties to the Conservative party, government ministers, a record of corruption or no previous experience in public health. It said in total, $22billion dollars had been given to firms with ‘political connections, no prior experience or a history of controversy.’
Serco alone has received $285million of public money for tracing and testing. In October, the company announced that its revenues would be £200m higher than expected this year and profits would be up some 20%.
The huge sums of money given to companies like Serco can be contrasted to the amounts cut from services and programmes to help the most vulnerable. Yesterday Welsh Government said it would not extend free school meals to more children in poverty – a demand backed by charities such as Oxfam and Save the Children – partly because it would cost in the region £67m.
