A HEALTH union has called for all NHS staff and patients to be tested for coronavirus as the Government revealed it is stepping up testing in hospitals.

As many as 25,000 people within NHS hospitals, including Oxford's John Radcliffe, will be tested for Covid-19 every day as part of a major national effort to boost testing capacity.

It comes after Oxfordshire Unison health branch said members were 'extremely concerned' about the Government's decision to 'not implement a much broader testing regime' to detect and manage coronavirus infections.

Ian Mckendrick, communications officer for Oxfordshire Unison Health branch, said the union had received a report of a patient admitted to a ward in the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) who was later diagnosed with Covid-19.

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He said: "We have been told that some staff were not aware of the risk of infection and may have been exposed as a result. Other patients in the ward included highly vulnerable patients with cancer, and could also have been at risk of exposure."

He added: "Neither staff nor patients have been tested for infection.

"The current government advice is to not test staff or patients, so staff and patients have no way of knowing if they pose an infection risk to others unless they develop symptoms, by which time it could be too late to avoid passing the virus on to others."

OUH was contacted for comment but instead a press release was sent by the Department of Health and Social Care.

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It revealed that the Government would focus on ensuring the highest priority cases were tested first, with the expected surge in capacity ready 'within four weeks'.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Public safety is my top priority, and radically ramping up testing for coronavirus is a key part of our plan to protect lives. We are already among the best in the world for coronavirus testing and today we are launching a national effort to increase our testing capability even further.

“Our aim is to protect life, protect the most vulnerable, and relieve pressure on our NHS – so it is right that we prioritise testing for those most at risk of severe illness."