Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue.

A comprehensive, reliable and responsive testing and tracing operation is central to our public health strategy for containing and slowing the spread of Covid-19. Capacity has been in place since early summer to test 15,000 people a day. While the system did come under pressure in recent weeks, overall the system is working well and is proving central to our public health response. Rigorous contact tracing, automatic testing of close contacts, serial testing in high-risk environments and large-scale testing in outbreak situations means we are proactively finding more cases than we would have previously.

In recent weeks, we have needed to flex resources up significantly as demand has increased. We are testing more people than ever before with over 85,000 tests completed in the past week. Community testing has increased in line with a steady increase in the prevalence of the disease. The HSE has deployed additional resources to meet this increased demand. This included the opening of additional community testing centres and mobile pop-up testing units, as well as significantly increased contact tracing teams and increased laboratory testing.

Community testing centres are fully operational seven days a week in Dundalk and in Slane, at the Slane health centre, to serve the population of Louth and Meath combined. They have been offering in excess of 750 appointments on individual days. Persons from Drogheda are currently being referred for testing in Dundalk and Slane. At present, there are no plans for a pop-up testing centre in Drogheda. However, referral demand in any area is subject to ongoing review by the HSE and evaluation against available capacity. Actions are continuously evaluated by the HSE to ensure capacity meets demand, including the extension of opening hours and the addition of testing stations to existing sites.

The HSE advises that current demand nationally and in the Dundalk and Slane centres is being met. This is a clear example of action being taken in the form of a response to demand. On 16 September, for example, 761 appointments were offered across the two facilities, whereas two weeks previously the two centres offered a combined 450 appointments per day, approximately. Further actions, including the standing up of pop-up testing centres, have been initiated in other areas where the above actions were not deemed sufficient to meet demand.

The HSE is now finalising a future service model for testing and tracing. This service model will aim to deliver a patient-centred, accessible, consistent and flexible service. This plan includes the recruitment of a permanent workforce, which has already commenced, and a range of other service improvements which will be rolled out quickly. Transition to the new model is under way and will continue through the autumn. As part of this, a comprehensive assessment of community testing and swabbing locations is being undertaken. Criteria considered include suitability and sustainability of the location as a long-term testing centre as well as travel times to test centres.

As I said, we are constantly looking to improve further the responsiveness of the testing and tracing system and we will keep demand and capacity under review. I appreciate that the two Deputies have raised the issue of a pop-up Covid-19 testing centre in Drogheda. I will relay those concerns to the Minister as soon as possible.

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