The Department of Health has failed to provide a reason for the delay in the roll out of GP spotter practices for Covid-19 to the Fermanagh area. The Impartial Reporter can reveal.

The spotter practices were an initiative launched in the Belfast area by the Department of Health on April 27, where random patients showing symptoms would be tested for Covid-19.

At the time the Chief Medical Officer, Michael McBride, stated that the initiative would be rolled out across 26 other practices in Northern Ireland “the following week” in order to get a better understanding of how Covid-19 was transmitting in the community.

The GP spotter practices involve the testing of symptomatic patients for Covid-19, however despite assurances made by Dr. McBride to the Northern Ireland Health Committee at Stormont, the initiative has not reached Fermanagh, or indeed any part of Northern Ireland, outside of Belfast.

In a response to a question from Colm Gildernew, the Chair of the Health Committee, with regards to GP testing for Covid-19 on April 23, Dr. McBride stated: “Primary care testing commences this week. We have a well-established system in place of spotter practices for flu sentinel surveillance.

“You may recall the report that you receive each year during flu season about the levels of flu activity. We will be using those 36 GP spotter practices, which represent about 10 per cent or 11 per cent of GP practices, across Northern Ireland.

“We will start that, initially, in the 13 GP spotter practices within the greater Belfast area — the Belfast Trust and South Eastern Trust area — because that is where we are seeing, at present, the greatest rate of community transmission of Covid-19.

“The following week, that will be extended to all the 36 practices right across Northern Ireland, and I can provide details of those.”

The Impartial Reporter queried whether the roll out of GP spotter practices had taken place in any area outside of Belfast but the Department of Health confirmed that the initiative is yet to be extended: “The COVID surveillance programme will be extended shortly to the other spotter practices including those in the Western, Northern and Southern Trust areas.

“The programme will use the 36 GP practices that take part in the flu sentinel surveillance every year.”

The statement went on to explain that the initiative is based on the current Flu Sentinel Surveillance Service which is in place in the same 36 GP practices.

Since 2000, The Public Health Agency (PHA) Health Protection Surveillance Service has commissioned thirty-six general practices, located across Northern Ireland, representing 11.2 per cent of practices across NI.

Practices are commissioned to swab up to five patients with influenza-like illness per week and report epidemiological information.

The statement from the Department explained: “The results from the Covid surveillance programme will provide epidemiological information and is for surveillance purposes.

“However testing is available for everyone over five years of age in Northern Ireland with symptoms of coronavirus, through the COVID-19 testing programme.”