One doctor has spoken out, sharing the impact of the PCR system's problems on patients and staff alike

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Fears of there being not enough NHS staff to care for patients are rising after the availability of PCR tests has evaporated across the country, following 'spikes in demand'.

NHS staff who may have come into contact with someone who has the virus cannot work without a negative Covid-19 test.

As doctors, nurses, and more are grounded at home, there are concerns that hospital, GP surgeries and care homes will go into 'lockdown' as there are 'not enough staff members to care for patients'.

READ MORE:More than 800 patients 'medically fit for discharge' still in hospital in week leading up to Christmas

This morning (December 29), the government website showed there were no PCR tests on offer in any regions of England or Northern Ireland, with home testing kits also unavailable.

By this evening, when the Manchester Evening News , checked the website at 5pm, there were still no PCR testing sites with slots across England.

The nearest testing site to Greater Manchester, with 'very few available' tests, was in West Glamorgan in south Wales.

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Home testing kits appear to have now resumed, with some prioritised for essential workers.

But, as they are posted out during the Christmas reduced postage period, this option could see delays in getting results back - results which have already been set back by an increased demand in the number of tests being dealt with by labs in recent days.

Some councils are handing out tests in their area, with the kits able to be picked up and completed at home.

The PCR test shortages, and subsequent delays in getting results back, is creating yet more pressure on the NHS in the region, says one doctor.

"There are currently no tests available and results are taking more than 48 hours, this means staff can't return to work while waiting," the GP told the Manchester Evening News .

"There are lots of people waiting for PCR results to go back to work as a family member has tested positive.

"It is going to get worse."

Meanwhile, the infections rates across the country continue to grow, as UK Covid cases hit a record high with 183,037 new infections, according to the latest update this evening.

Hospitals, GP practices, along with other health and care settings, are already facing a list of issues - including a lack of beds amid an increase in Covid patients, a social care system unable to take hospital patients being discharged, and an exhausted workforce.

The system is also suffering a dip in staff, who are going off due to their own illness or bouts of Covid, as many are at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

Now, as more staff are confined to their homes as they wait for a test, surgeries, hospitals and care homes could be forced to 'lock down', claims the doctor.

"Care homes, hospitals and GP surgeries can go into lockdown due to staff testing positive and there being not enough staff to care for patients," he added.

When there is exceptionally high demand for home testing, the UK Health Security Agency says it temporarily pauses the booking portal to control the flow of tests into laboratories.

A UK Health Security Agency spokesperson has said: “The UK’s testing programme is the biggest in Europe with almost 400 million tests carried out since the start of the pandemic.

“We are delivering record numbers of lateral flow tests to pharmacies across the country, with almost 8 million test kits being made available to pharmacies between today and New Year’s Eve.

"We have made 100,000 more PCR booking slots available per day since mid-December and we are continuing to rapidly expand capacity – with over half a million tests carried out on 23 December alone and delivery capacity doubled to 900,000 PCR and LFD test kits a day.

“If you have not been able to get the test you need from gov.uk, please keep checking every few hours as more PCR and LFD tests become available every day.”

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