SCOTLAND’s Health Secretary has been accused of having "completely lost her grip" on the Covid-19 crisis after she admitted she did not know if or when NHS staff will be routinely tested for the disease. 

Jeane Freeman confirmed that frontline hospital staff are “not yet” being regularly tested for coronavirus – while she also suggested that updated rules on the use of surgical masks and other protection could be introduced for workers in hospitals. 

The Health Secretary said that there “may be additional measures that we want patients to take” when they enter hospitals and indicated that the Scottish Government was “looking at the possibility of testing staff” in certain areas of hospitals on a regular basis. 

Conservatives said that Ms Freeman’s “excuses keep getting thinner” while the Scottish Greens, who have been advocating regular testing for weeks, have questioned the “urgency” of her response. 

Between March 18 and June 3, 908 patients have developed Covid-19 in Scottish hospitals, and 218 of them have died, after being admitted to wards for other conditions. 

READ MORE: Coronavirus: More than 200 die after first falling sick in Scottish hospitals

Ms Freeman stressed that she does not believe the transmission of the virus to patients entering wards without it is concentrated in certain hospitals but does not know “whether it is a problem throughout the NHS”. 

The Health Secretary said more analysis was needed to establish whether all 908 people caught coronavirus in hospital or whether some were carrying it, undetected, when they entered wards. 

She said: “What we don’t yet know, the work is underway, is whether or not all of those or some of them, contracted the virus when they were in hospital or whether they had the virus and it was in the incubation period. That work is underway and I hope by the end of June, we will have validated data on that, which is of course important.” 

Ms Freeman stressed that “patients should have confidence going into our hospitals” despite the transmission concerns and lack of testing for staff. 

She added: “Our NHS staff know very well and practice every day the importance of infection prevention and control, the importance of patient safety. 

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Jeane Freeman calls for 'cooperation' from care home operators to ensure all staff are tested

“What we are doing now as we look to re-start areas of the health service in that gradual and importantly safe way, is whether or not doing that whilst you still have the virus, remember it still hasn’t gone away, whether or not in those certain clinical areas, we should introduce additional measures which can include testing of staff in those areas.” 

Ms Freeman indicated that discussions were underway, including with NHS workers and unions about the “wearing medical grade face masks across the NHS”. 

She stressed that rather than making “snap overnight announcements”, she will instead give an update later this week on “how best to implement the use of PPE across the NHS”. 

READ MORE: Top doctor warns A&E departments must not return to the way they were

She added: “We will take those decisions based on clinical advice and consultation with those involved and as soon as we have done that, we will make sure that is publicly known and patients are given that additional information. 

“There may be additional measures that we want patients to take as well.” 

The Health Secretary was unable to give a timescale for when regular testing of NHS staff could begin. 

READ MORE: Coronavirus: UK Government scientific adviser says late lockdown 'has cost a lot of lives'

She added: “What we do know is where we are introducing more elective work, there is discussion underway with the clinical teams about testing patients immediately before surgery and alongside that, testing the staff who would be involved in the treatment. 

“You do need to involve the staff in these discussions because you are testing asymptomatic people – so you need to make sure that everyone is involved and everyone is content, before you can introduce it and that you have the evidence to support it." 

“You need to engage people in order to be sure that they are convinced as clinicians that this is the right thing to do.” 

The Scottish Conservatives have criticised Ms Freeman for her stance on testing. 

READ MORE: Jeane Freeman: 'Reasonable conclusion' that care home control failings to blame for virus spread

Jackson Carlaw, Scottish Conservative leader said: “The Health Secretary appears to have completely lost her grip on the Covid crisis. 

“The SNP government promised to dramatically increase hospital staff testing but still, weeks later, not only is nothing in place, Ms Freeman cannot tell us when it will be. 

“Ms Freeman couldn’t even give the public basic information about where patients who contracted Covid in hospital died." 

He added: “The SNP abandoned care homes to be ravaged by Covid, they appear to have done the same thing to hospitals also. 

“Jeane Freeman’s excuses keep getting thinner meanwhile thousands of tests are unused each day." 

“Nicola Sturgeon says she takes responsibility for her government’s approach to Covid and I agree – the First Minister is responsible for these catastrophic failures.” 

Scottish Greens parliamentary co-leader, Alison Johnstone, added: “I first proposed introducing regular testing for health and care staff in April.  

"The Health Secretary finally confirmed she would introduce regular testing for social care workers almost three weeks ago, yet there’s still no sign of it.  

"NHS staff have absolutely no certainty if or when they will get tested. 

“We’re in the middle of the biggest public health crisis we have ever faced yet thousands of tests go unused every day. To properly protect staff and patients we need to know who has the virus, so regular testing is essential. Where’s the urgency?”