NHS workers & testing

[Glennister2612]

Just looking for some advice really, I'm NHS admin (finance) and currently working from home due to my DH having symptoms last Saturday.

I am due to return to the office on Monday after the 14 days are up and have just been told I need to go in this afternoon with my DH and kids to be tested for coronavirus so that I can go back in to the office on Friday.

To note, I can fully work from home but have been told I need to be in the office now 5 days a week to show 'presence' for the department.

I absolutely do not want to take my kids to hospital where other people are being tested for coronavirus when we have been at home safe to this point and not left for 12 days.

I feel that I am being bullied by my manager to go back in to the office for the sake of 1 day, what can I do? Do I just put up with it?

Just bumping for some advice :(

I would want to be tested. I would feel a lot better about things if I knew we had already had it.

You can’t get that test yet though @hellsbells99. Only one which says whether you have it now.

I think I would have it because I would want to know/be interested. Are you sure results will come back that quickly though? I was told 3 working days today at the drive thru.

We have been told that the test needs to be within 4 days of symptom onset and should be prioritised for front line staff. Seems like a waste of a test if you can just continue to work from home until the quarantine is up.

Refuse to take your family. The NHS does not employ them.

What an utter waste of resources when you can work from home. Your manager needs to be saving those testing kits for frontline staff.

@WhenYouveAFirstInEnglish Good point unfortunately.

What @Lifeisabeach09 said. Why on earth are the tests being wasted on non frontline staff!? Your manager sounds like a difficult sort, can you enquire around/over them as to why you & your entire family are being offered tests? I'd refuse to bring my family in.

It's so fucking infuriating. In my trust they've made it clear that working from home is not acceptable, even when a huge chunk of our work can be carried out perfectly well remotely. Our office is too small to adequately socially distance at all times, but unless we are socially isolating, we're expected to be there. It's all about "presenteeism" at the expense of people's well-being and it's awful. How can the bloody NHS of all organisations go against official PHE advice?!
Op I'd agree to be tested but not for my family to be.

This sounds so similar to my workplace. Presenteesim in an environment it’s impossible to distance in and the work could be done from a bus shelter if needed (as long as you could secure a door for data protection!)

If your place is anything like mine questioning the manager will go down like coughing directly in their face. Have you got a well-being/occupational health contact? I would ring under the guise of confirming details of testing but get them to confirm that this is a good use of their tests given you have one working day to go and the set up (it may be an in car test).