Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of people unable to access covid-19 tests in Portsmouth on the ability to accurately assess the degree to which the pandemic is affecting Portsmouth.

National Health Service Test and Trace is working and our capacity is the highest it has ever been. As of 21 September, we have processed more than 18.7 million tests across pillars 1 and 2 and have capacity to test over 250,000 people a day. Demand for testing is increasing and as such some test sites will have reductions of testing capacity, so we can keep maximum capacity in highest risk areas.

We have also seen a rise in the number of people not eligible for testing coming forward. This is limiting the opportunity for symptomatic people to book a test. We are introducing improved messaging in all our channels and at sites that testing is for those who have symptoms, or who have been specifically told to get a test to take part in a pilot or elective surgery or have been invited by local councils.