Impossible to get a test!

[Catchingbabies]

My daughter was sent home from school Thursday with a cough, we now have to isolate until she’s had a test.

Fine except we can’t get a bloody test! No home tests available, the gov site doesn’t recognise my postcode (new build) and says it doesn’t exist so won’t even let me search for test sites and ringing the number they say there are no appointments available.

I’m frontline NHS staff, what happened to key-workers being prioritised? Now I’m off work for probably the next 2 weeks, leaving my department even more short staffed and even more dangerous because we can’t get a test.

It’s ridiculous! Won’t be long until the NHS is dangerously unstaffed with all the parents in the same position as the usual coughs and colds spread round the schools.

It is ridiculous but some sites will let you turn up. Also as frontline staff your DD may be eligible for priority testing if you live and work in the same area.

(I don't mean via the website, that doesn't seem to prioritise essential workers).

I agree it's crazy. We have just finished 14 days isolation due to track and trace contacting us. We had no symptoms at all.Impossible to get a test, offered one 150 miles away! Don't fancy that journey with a 4 year old and 1.5 year old.

I am a frontline NHS worker and Dh is a key worker. DS missed first week of school following nearly 6 months off . I don't know how we can survive winter like this.

@SaltyAndFresh I’ve contacted work, the only test available to us is through the government website, so that would be none then.

Do the government have any idea how many NHS staff are also parents? What are they going to do when over half their workforce is at home isolating with poorly children due to a lack of testing?

@ABitOdd When you fill the government site request in it asks if you are an essential worker. The system should then prioritise you for testing. Except I’ve been doing that since Thursday, several time’s a day and there’s nothing available. Not even miles away from home, literally nothing available.

I’m in the same boat. Head teacher.

It’s OK because Operation Moonshot.

Yes I've just got one, new ones must be loading in

What are they going to do when over half their workforce is at home isolating with poorly children due to a lack of testing?

They'll find someone else to blame. It's shit, but we all know by now that they really don't care.

Still nothing showing for me. I’m rural which obviously doesn’t help. My manager told me 6 of my colleagues are in the same situation. So next week there’s 6 less midwives working out of a team of 31. How long until the service is too dangerous to continue?

I've been trying since 8am and nothing. It's ridiculous.

Just got one

Use a different postcode if yours doesn’t work e.g. your work postcode. You have to keep refreshing the page every few minutes. I just left my laptop on the kitchen table & eventually some tests appeared 50 miles away so managed to book one. 111 told me to keep refreshing the page as they release the tests in blocks.

This is an utter shambles. There will be more disruption from lack of testing than from lockdown at this rate. What the hell is it going to be like by October?

Its completely unworkable for schools unless they sort out testing capacity sharpish. I posted about this on another thread earlier but my daughter has been unwell since she came home from school Tuesday evening. Sat up all night refreshing the page trying to book a slot, eventually grabbed a home test kit on the Wednesday morning which didn't arrive until 6pm Thursday evening so Friday before I could even take the test and Saturday before its been delivered.

Im as confident as I possibly can be its a normal cold although we are obviously isolating awaiting results but if it does come back positive her bubble have been in school this entire time.

For the NHS people, speak to your line manager. Mine had a link to access testing for nhs staff only at the local hospital. This was earlier this week. Worked really well, when there were no tests available through the normal pathway.

[quote Catchingbabies]@ABitOdd When you fill the government site request in it asks if you are an essential worker. The system should then prioritise you for testing. Except I’ve been doing that since Thursday, several time’s a day and there’s nothing available. Not even miles away from home, literally nothing available.[/quote]
This screen kept coming up for me. I left it on that screen and kept refreshing for about 2 hrs every few minutes. Then all of a sudden the local testing site and the available slots popped up.

The method of booking a test is an utter shambles, I am also a key worker and have missed three days of work because the family had to self isolate. Luckily after repeatedly inputting my details for three hours I was able to book a test, we've now had a negative result and can get back to normal.
However the lack of available tests is ridiculous and I know lots of who can't book a test will not isolate and there is then a big risk of infections rising.

@MaggieTheFrog you didn't need a test if you didn't have symptoms. Being frontline NHS you should know this.

I have just got one after 24hour of trying, it’s a good 45minute drive away which is annoying when there are 2 test sites within 5 minutes from me, but at least I have one!

My worry is it says you need photo id, which I have but the test is for my 11 year old who doesn’t so I am going to take his birth certificate and my id and hope for the best!

@DanceWithYourBalloon It’s not even letting me get to that screen anymore. Just a this service is busy notification. Been refreshing for hours now.