Worthing mum told nearest Covid-19 tests in Cardiff or the Isle of Wight

A Worthing mum was told her nearest Covid-19 test centres were hundreds of miles away as the system creaks under the weight of demand.
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Caroline Feldwick’s five-year-old daughter, Brontë, started showing possible Covid symptoms ahead of her return to school last Monday.

Desperate to see whether Brontë could go in, Caroline went to book a test, only to be told the closest slots were the Isle of Wight or Cardiff – within the next hour.

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The 51-year-old suffers from asthma and shielded during lockdown, so the uncertainty left her ‘absolutely petrified’ of catching the virus.

DM2090547a.jpg. Caroline Feldwick tried to book a coronavirus test for her daughter Bronte, 5, but was told the only available were either Isle of Wight or Cardiff, in an hour. She lives in Worthing. Finally managed to get one at Tangmere. Photo by Derek Martin Photography SUS-200915-184406008DM2090547a.jpg. Caroline Feldwick tried to book a coronavirus test for her daughter Bronte, 5, but was told the only available were either Isle of Wight or Cardiff, in an hour. She lives in Worthing. Finally managed to get one at Tangmere. Photo by Derek Martin Photography SUS-200915-184406008
DM2090547a.jpg. Caroline Feldwick tried to book a coronavirus test for her daughter Bronte, 5, but was told the only available were either Isle of Wight or Cardiff, in an hour. She lives in Worthing. Finally managed to get one at Tangmere. Photo by Derek Martin Photography SUS-200915-184406008

Thankfully, a spot opened up for Brontë at Tangmere on the Sunday, a day before the five-day deadline that would have meant she had to self-isolate for 14 days. Her result came back negative.

“I found it really stressful, knowing that my daughter was unwell and, as I’m very high risk, if I got ill who would look after her?” said Caroline.

“What I found really frustrating was seeing the news and the Government saying there’s no problem with testing.”

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As a single parent, Caroline had shielded with Brontë for 10 weeks. Her daughter was missing her friends, she said, and their relationship was suffering.

“I’m absolutely petrified of her being back in school, not necessarily for her because she’s quite robust, but I’m fearful that she’ll give it to me,” she said. “But for her mental health and her well-being, I know she needs to go back.”

The concern for Caroline is that without adequate testing, cases in schools could go undetected and children could bring the illness home.

A West Sussex County Council report revealed laboratory capacity for testing had been reached.

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With priority given to testing in areas with higher rates of infection, the South East has been left short of tests due to its relatively few number of cases.

The report said that without full capacity, ‘we are unable to have an accurate picture of the number of cases of the virus and therefore may not be able to detect any concerning increase in the number of cases at locality level’.

It also means the council cannot put any advance action in place, such as advising residents to take preventative action, the report said.

The issue has been raised with the Government, the report said, but it could take four to six weeks to resolve. Sarah-Jane Marsh, director of testing for NHS Test and Trace, said: “Can I please offer my heartfelt apologies to anyone who cannot get a Covid test at present. All of our testing sites have capacity, which is why they don’t look overcrowded, it’s our laboratory processing that is the critical pinch-point. We are doing all we can to expand quickly.”