Despite being dubbed as one of the “most concerning” COVID outbreak areas, some residents undergoing testing in Guildford have waited up to two weeks for their test results.
The Guildford Pool Car Park Pop Up COVID-19 Testing Clinic at Tamplin Road, Guildford is experiencing significant delays, said to be associated with the statewide problems experienced by the provider, Laverty Pathology.
Testing clinics are under serious pressure, with a rising caseload as new mandatory surveillance testing is introduced for aged care, health and construction workers from the Cumberland Local Government Area.
Granville MP Julia Finn has received an increasing number of complaints from residents about the turnaround times and said the frequency of delays is concerning.
“This testing centre has had more complaints than any of the others put together,” she said.
“People are waiting four, five, six days and we’ve had cases waiting up to two weeks.
“These are people who are essential workers who need to be tested every three days and have to supply their employers with out of date information.”
Ms Finn wrote to the NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard calling for additional testing providers, as well as greater availability of testing clinics with longer opening hours including a local 24/7 facility.
“We believe that this is consistent with the urging by Dr Kerry Chant, Chief Health Officer about the importance of people living in areas of increased testing to get tested if they have any symptoms,” she said
“The Cumberland Council area remains one of the Local Government Areas of concern and it is critical that testing is undertaken in a timely manner.”
A NSW Health spokesperson said they were aware of delays in test results in a “minority of cases”.
“We apologise for these delays and thank people for their patience and understanding,” the spokesperson said.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.