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WQ.204/2020
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
BY DEPUTY C.S. ALVES OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 2nd JUNE 2020
Question
Will the Minister provide a breakdown showing, on a week-by-week basis, the mean average time, as well as the longest and shortest times, it has taken to process Covid-19 tests and to provide individuals with their results, with the breakdown to indicate the percentage of each week's tests that required more or less time than the mean average?
Answer
The average turnaround from the sample being received to the sample being authorised/reported, and percentages taking more or less than the average time are shown in the tables below.
This is separated into whether the test was undertaken off-island or on-island. Off-island turnaround times are reported in days, while on-island turnaround times are reported in hours.
Results are communicated to the patient within 24 hours of the result being received in the Pathology Laboratory system (OMNI).
Off-island tests are where the sample has been sent to the UK for processing. In the early weeks of the Covid pandemic, this was a manual reporting process, which means that data were not always captured in real time – often the result would be communicated to the patient and clinical staff before it was entered in OMNI. In more recent weeks, the systems have been changed so that results can be electronically shared between the laboratories in the UK and our system.
As well as this manual process, the Pathology Laboratory staff often undertake quality assurance processes, which means that a test result date may change. It is not possible to review every individual record to identify where the test result has been through such a process.
It is therefore not meaningful to report the longest and shortest turnaround times. As far as possible, the numbers reported below take account of these processes and it is noted that when calculating an average, these issues are smoothed.
Off-Island Tests (Days)
Average % taking % taking
Turnaround more than % taking less than
time (days) 3.0 days 3 days 3.0 days 10/02/2020 - 16/02/2020 3.1 28.57% 57.14% 14.29% 17/02/2020 - 23/02/2020 7.0 100.00% 0.00% 0.00% 24/02/2020 - 01/03/2020 3.5 65.38% 0.00% 34.62% 02/03/2020 - 08/03/2020 3.9 39.29% 46.43% 14.29% 09/03/2020 - 15/03/2020 2.5 9.80% 50.98% 39.22% 16/03/2020 - 22/03/2020 3.7 43.39% 11.98% 44.63% 23/03/2020 - 29/03/2020 3.0 20.75% 51.87% 27.38% 30/03/2020 - 05/04/2020 3.1 28.48% 35.92% 35.60% 06/04/2020 - 12/04/2020 3.4 29.35% 48.71% 21.94% 13/04/2020 - 19/04/2020 2.4 2.29% 29.77% 67.94% 20/04/2020 - 26/04/2020 2.0 0.64% 3.18% 96.18% 27/04/2020 - 03/05/2020 2.9 36.09% 11.92% 51.99% 04/05/2020 - 10/05/2020 3.2 24.00% 65.09% 10.91% 11/05/2020 - 17/05/2020 3.2 27.60% 61.11% 11.28% 18/05/2020 - 24/05/2020 2.6 11.57% 35.44% 52.98% Grand Total 3.0 22.70% 38.95% 38.35%
On-Island Tests (Hours)
% taking % taking
Average more than less than Turnaround 5hrs 5hrs
time (hours) 30mins 30mins 06/04/2020 - 12/04/2020 9:19:38 58.24% 41.76% 13/04/2020 - 19/04/2020 6:00:01 34.97% 65.03% 20/04/2020 - 26/04/2020 3:27:42 11.02% 88.98% 27/04/2020 - 03/05/2020 5:47:35 26.87% 73.13% 04/05/2020 - 10/05/2020 4:24:08 20.00% 80.00% 11/05/2020 - 17/05/2020 6:59:24 35.18% 64.82% 18/05/2020 - 24/05/2020 4:40:02 20.07% 79.93% Grand Total 5:30:29 26.64% 73.36%