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Original poster

Priti Patel says tests are available for everyone

85 replies

Howslifenow · 15/09/2020 08:26

Priti Patel has just confirmed that tests are available for everyone. Good news. Effectively people have been lying that they are unable to get tests. Is no one scrutinising the kids of this government. Nhs staff shortages already due to lack of testing. School kids and parents anxious as well.

OP posts:
Porcupineinwaiting · 15/09/2020 09:46

They lie through their teeth, this lot.

Original poster
Howslifenow · 15/09/2020 09:47

Brilliant

OP posts:
meditrina · 15/09/2020 09:49

I think this is a fuck up like the GCSE/A level fuck up.

Someone (probably a private company?) is auditing performance, and finding an OK result - and that is what is being fed up to the senior politicians.

What is abundantly clear from the RL experiences is that they are measuring the wrong things

It's like 'the computer says "no"' only it's 'the computer says "yes"'. It looks as if they are not capturing the numbers who are unable to book a test (at all, or in a suitable location). Instead, they are finding lots of tests being booked, and only a small proportion of them being at a long distance. Nothing on how many do not book because they cannot travel the distance offered, or are in the queue unable to book at all.

So I think Patel is not lying - she's giving accurate information based on the questions they have asked. In blissful ignorance that she's asking the wrong sodding questions

Sirzy · 15/09/2020 09:49

My sister has just managed to book tests for today for somwhere only half a hour away. More luck of the draw through and having 5 adults regularly checking for the slots for them to try to fall lucky.

The really frustrating thing is to even get to the “no tests available try again later” point you have to enter all the information and then have to renter it again every time you have to try again. At least if it checked for tests then took your information when you could book something or even just let you refresh based on the information it wouldn’t seem so time consuming to keep checking!

pinkstripeycat · 15/09/2020 09:50

My town have a lot of tests and the test centres are empty. Why aren’t they sending areas that have tests to the areas that haven’t got them?

Ireolu · 15/09/2020 09:51

Been trying to get a test for the last 2 + hours for my daughter who has a cough. I work in the NHS and will likely not be able to go to work tmrw. There is rhinovirus around at the moment which is pushing symptoms in small children. This winter is going to be gruesome. For public health I am willing to get her tested but can't. What a shambles?!

BarbaraWoodlouse · 15/09/2020 09:54

So now I’m confused. Am I “worried well” using up all the tests for trite and selfish reasons like enabling my two children to get back to school and resume their disrupted education or am I a deluded liar who imagined the last 48 hrs of refreshing the same website to no avail?

Gurtcha · 15/09/2020 09:54

Odious woman.

I need a test to return to work (well, 2 actually) and whereas you can get one on the same day pretty quickly through occupational health at work, it took me 3/4 of the day yesterday to actually speak to someone and they couldn’t book me one until today. They’ve also been really honest and said they can’t give an ETA on when I’ll get the results either (usually happy to say 24 hours). I tried to get one through the government website too and immediately got a message saying nothing was available, not even in the outer Hebrides, and to try again later in the day.

Pritti Patel is a Billy Bullshitter.

Notverygrownup · 15/09/2020 09:55

I think that it is essential that every person who tries to get a test and fails within say, 6 hours, or who is offered a test that cannot be accessed because of stupid distances, or who takes a test then has to wait more than 3 days for the results should email their MP, so that they have a growing inbox with clear evidence of the situation.

I believe that politicians use the guideline that for every person that contacts them there are likely to be 10 more in the same position, so the pressure will mount, if people start emailing asap.

RoseAndRose · 15/09/2020 09:56

@pinkstripeycat

My town have a lot of tests and the test centres are empty. Why aren’t they sending areas that have tests to the areas that haven’t got them?
Because the places where there is capacity don't match the places where there is demand, and people (rightly) baulk at travelling long distances when unwell
Gurtcha · 15/09/2020 09:57

@pinkstripeycat

My town have a lot of tests and the test centres are empty. Why aren’t they sending areas that have tests to the areas that haven’t got them?
Because your empty test centres either: A) Have no actual tests or; B) have nowhere to process the tests.

Just because you see the physical centre and the staff doesn’t mean they can actually test you.

Gurtcha · 15/09/2020 09:59

Because the places where there is capacity don't match the places where there is demand, and people (rightly) baulk at travelling long distances when unwell

Plus this!

StarchyStanley · 15/09/2020 09:59

She is such a liar and more besides.

Blurp · 15/09/2020 10:02

@Sirzy

My sister has just managed to book tests for today for somwhere only half a hour away. More luck of the draw through and having 5 adults regularly checking for the slots for them to try to fall lucky.

The really frustrating thing is to even get to the “no tests available try again later” point you have to enter all the information and then have to renter it again every time you have to try again. At least if it checked for tests then took your information when you could book something or even just let you refresh based on the information it wouldn’t seem so time consuming to keep checking!

The point about having to re-enter info each time is true. It's incredibly frustrating, and would be very simple to fix. They should ask for your postcode, and then let you refresh the page until you find tests available in your area. THEN once you've selected and reserved a time slot, ask for your info (and release the time slot if you don't enter details within 5 minutes or something).
nibdedibble · 15/09/2020 10:06

Priti Patel is a liar. They all are.

meditrina · 15/09/2020 10:07

The point about having to re-enter info each time is true. It's incredibly frustrating, and would be very simple to fix. They should ask for your postcode, and then let you refresh the page until you find tests available in your area. THEN once you've selected and reserved a time slot, ask for your info (and release the time slot if you don't enter details within 5 minutes or something)

And then it might become possible to audit how many times you attempted to book before succeeding ?

blueberries20 · 15/09/2020 10:11

There is a work-around to having to enter details every time - press change postcode then refresh the postcode page again - someone on Mumsnet told me this, top tip!!

PunishmentSnart · 15/09/2020 10:18

@pinkstripeycat where is that? I’ll put in a nearby postcode to see if I can get one

WanderingMilly · 15/09/2020 10:19

I am wondering why they aren't checking the actual test booking software. There are supposed to be tests but the computer says there aren't, people who have gone to test centres have found them empty and staff standing around in some cases, yet it's been difficult to book. In some instances, the booking process gets so far and then can't verify the bookee's identity so crashes. Perhaps the booking process itself is at fault??

Original poster
Howslifenow · 15/09/2020 10:21

I just wish this government can get at least this right to give parents peace of mind.

OP posts:
OpenlyGayExOlympicFencer · 15/09/2020 10:22

Priti Patel says a lot of things!

Didkdt · 15/09/2020 10:22

There are sufficient tests, but they aren't being distributed well by the sounds of it, my understanding was because of the labs.
We were told to test last Wednesday spent hours looking for a drive through slot postal kits were available for the first couple of hours booked a slot for Thursday morning 20 miles away. Tested. Results Thursday night. Kids back at school Friday.

Nicetableinnit · 15/09/2020 10:23

Priti Patel is either a liar or she's thick. And I don't think she's thick.
We have several kids off school with coughs unable to get tests. I've just gone on the NHS website and there's just a message saying try back later to even search for one. And my friend told she could have one on 3 weeks time in Cardiff - we're on the S east coast. So she'd have to drive 5 hours and the test needs to be done within 5 days of symptoms.

Priti Patel and her whole government are a shower of lying incompetents.Maybe this is a ploy to keep schools open - you can't shut the school or send a year grp home because of Covid if you can't tell if the pupils actually have Covid...

Sophiafour · 15/09/2020 10:24

So all those clinical people who've been trying for the last three days to get a test, otherwise they can't work, are obviously liars. No, of COURSE this isn't going to have a knock on effect on NHS staffing, so the Tories can give it another good pasting. (Perhaps now the doubters might understand why I was so sceptical of the "clap for the NHS" b*llocks.)

Although to be fair, in her (parallel universe) world, there probably are enough tests for everyone. They've probably got their own little lab and a whole team of staff on call. (Anyone else remember Anne Widdecombe's televised bouncing about in a hospital and telling them it could all be sorted out with a flick of her magic wand? I really really had to stop myself from thinking of Dolores in Harry Potter....not quite sure if I've found an equivalent yet for the always right, always ethical, always compassionate Priti....)

meditrina · 15/09/2020 10:38

I am wondering why they aren't checking the actual test booking software

They are made but they're reportedly no in the wrong questions, so if it's number of tests booked, and how many of those are at a distance over of Xmiles from the home address, you get a lovely high figure of number of tests, and a pretty low one on distance travelled, and no informationwhatsoever if the number of site visitors who do not book (no test within an acceptable distance), nor - as you start each request ab initio- how many attempts it took.

The choice of what methodology and algorithms are used has a huge impact on the sorts of results that are reported.

Have any journalists actually asked how many site visitors leave the site without a completed booking?