The RCP submitted evidence to the Commons Science and Technology Committee inquiry titled UK science, research and technology capability and influence in global disease outbreaks.
The first piece of evidence submitted to the inquiry highlights findings from the RCP’s COVID-19 membership surveys tracking the impact on the workforce. The submission focuses on access to testing and highlights the number of doctors who have taken time off work due to having suspected COVID-19. It calls on the government to ensure that challenges around this are addressed so the workforce are able to safely return to the frontline.
Following findings from the RCP’s second and third membership surveys, we submitted additional evidence to the Committee’s inquiry. While this reflected the progress that had been made since the first survey, it highlighted issues regarding turnaround times for COVID-19 test results. This is particularly important if we are to ensure that clinicians are able to quickly return to service provision.