A KEY worker in Ryedale has said it is”totally crazy” that she will have to make a round trip of more than 100 miles to be tested for coronavirus.

The care home manager, who has asked not to be named, said she had received an email from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) saying any carer in the area who has symptoms of Covid-19 would have to be tested at a centre in Leeds.

She said: “It is just ridiculous that someone who isn’t feeling well, or doesn’t have access to a car has to travel as far as Leeds.

“Surely it would make more sense to have a testing centre more locally at York or Scarborough.

“Fortunately everyone at the care home is well at the moment. We shut down quite quickly and closed to all visitors, activities, etc.

“Staff are also being encouraged to follow the Government guidelines.

“I just couldn’t believe it when I got the email on Friday to say anyone who suspected they had coronavirus should apply for a testing slot and would then be given a time to go to Leeds.

“It is totally crazy.”

She said: “We are all being told to stay at home and now we have being asked to travel nearly 60 miles and back if we want to be tested.

“We really need to get tests done more locally and quickly.”

The care worker has written to Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake and local councillors asking for better testing.

Mr Hollinrake said: “We need to make sure that testing is done as widely as possible and as locally as possible.

“I will raise the matter with both the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and with ministers.”

Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group (ICG) said: “I am not surprised carers are being asked to go to Leeds for testing. I have been lobbying to get more testing centres set up more locally and have been told they are going to be set up, it’s just a question of when.

“It is crazy people are being asked to go to Leeds, but not unexpected. In the bigger picture, the Government has been slow to react and I hope these testing centres will be there very, very soon.”

Mr Padgham said it was vital the Government “pulled out all the stops” to provide essential PPE equipment for those working in the care industry.

“There has been lots of support locally but we need the Government to step up - PPE and testing are a big worry for everyone in the industry at the moment.”

The CQC has been contacting adult social care providers to book appointments for their staff to be tested for Covid-19 on behalf of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)

Ian Trenholm, chief executive of CQC, said: “We’ve taken some really practical steps to support adult social care during a time of unimaginable pressure, and we’ll continue to develop the package of support we’re offering across all sectors to help providers prioritise the safety of people using services and of staff delivering care.”

A spokesperson for DHSC said: “To ensure we make testing available in as many ways as possible and as convenient as possible we are setting up new test centres, using trained staff.

“We are establishing these centres around the UK, starting in the main hotspots of the disease, such as London, Midlands and then more across the country. Most will be drive-throughs, set up in car parks, with trained staff taking nose and throat swabs.

“We want to establish 50 sites initially, scaling up to however many are needed to gather enough samples to use our growing lab capacity.”