Covid test by mail - post box times?

[Triffid1]

I have to take a Covid home test ahead of a procedure in hospital next week. The first instruction is to check collection times at a priority post box which has final times for normal mail and then later ones, and Sunday ones, for Covid. I need to take the test Saturday or Sunday.

I'm finding it hard to believe that I can just drop it through a post box and then magically, on a sunday or late on a Saturday, a post office worker will come and dig it out on Sunday?

Is this how it works? I'm not missing some key instruction?

[I appreciate this seems like a really dumb question but I'm really finding it hard to believe that my little post box in the middle of my little rural side street is really getting an EXTRA post office visit on a Saturday AND a new one on a Sunday?]

You need to go onto the Royal Mail website, look for the priority postboxes in your area, put your test in the postbox before the last collection and you'll get your result the next day ( in my experience) excellent service

It's not a Post Office worker it's Royal Mail they are different organisations. They do extra collections from the priority post boxes. Where I live you have the test done at a drive through centre at the hospital before an admission.

That's exactly how it works! Royal Mail have added additional collection times on a Saturday and on Sunday to some of their priority post boxes.

Just go on the website and search under 'services near you' (think that's what its called) and should be able to find all the relevant priority boxes near you

If you download the Royal Mail app you can see which postboxes are priority and what time the collection is. In my experience, yes this is true, weirdly my town had no priority collection on a Sunday but the little in between villages did!

Posted off, and results back the next day, it was just shy of 24hr turn around time.

So yes I think they do have extra postal workers just doing priority post box pick ups.

Thanks both. Yes, it says the post box at the end of our road is a priority one. I'm just struggling to believe a person is sent round to open it up and check for Covid tests at 16:00 on a Saturday!!

The hospital said I just had to take a test within 4 days of the procedure then self isolate. The drive through/ walk in testing sites didn't have slots locally and I didn't want to be driving for miles, in traffic, etc so I ordered a home testing one. There does seem to be a priority post box outside one of the local post offices so maybe I'll take it there for my own peace of mind!

I posted my test in a designated priority post box on a Saturday morning. It's on a quiet street, away from the town centre.

By bedtime the tracking showed it had already been received at the testing centre. I woke up to an email with the result on Sunday morning.

If it says that it is a priority post box then it will be. I am not sure what you are finding difficult. It is very clear what to do. Royal Mail are paid by the government to do the pick ups just as they would be for any other collection. Yours won't be the only Covid test in there. Royal Mail work 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Ours are always collected as we get the results next day.

Yeah it works like everyone says, I do one weekly for work.

@Triffid1

Thanks both. Yes, it says the post box at the end of our road is a priority one. I'm just struggling to believe a person is sent round to open it up and check for Covid tests at 16:00 on a Saturday!!

The hospital said I just had to take a test within 4 days of the procedure then self isolate. The drive through/ walk in testing sites didn't have slots locally and I didn't want to be driving for miles, in traffic, etc so I ordered a home testing one. There does seem to be a priority post box outside one of the local post offices so maybe I'll take it there for my own peace of mind!

A priority post box is just that. One outside a post office isn't any different to the one at the end of your road. Both postal tests I've taken have had my results back to me in less than 24 hours with both being connected from priority post boxes on a Sunday.

Have they not said to arrange a collection from home?

My mum has been testing and isolating before each hospital appointment (4 times so far) and she has to register the hospital test kit online, then arrange for a Royal Mail collection.

When I say she has to do it, she just does the test and I arrange everything else!

I used a priority post box at 4pm yesterday, last pick up was 5. By 7.10 pm the lab had received my test and I had results come through at 10am this morning. Was very surprised at how efficient it was. You can track the test so you will see when it’s been collected.

They do get collected and you can track the progress

I am not from the UK and believe me, where I'm from, this level if efficiency is unheard of!

I sent it off this morning in my priority post box, about 2 hours before the normal Saturday post collection time. I reread the instructions and realised Saturday was possible, it was just the earliest I could do the test. Now I'm self isolating. Hope I did t right as the gagging was out of control (I have a strong gag reflex) and DD kept coming to check I was okay!

Thank you for this thread.

We have just posted two boxes to return tests in an NHS priority post box. I posting them in the box down the Lane from us. Did a search on MN and this was the first hit.

Very reassuring to read that these priority boxes are emptied on Saturdays and Sundays. Brilliant. Many thanks.

That's what the priority bit means. They have extra collections. I don't know if they take the boxes out and leave all the normal post for processing the next day when it gets to the sorting office.

I ordered a home test as I work in an area where there has been a rise in cases - as others have said the Royal Mail website will tell you where the nearest priority postbox is to you - posted mine Friday 4pm result back by text Sat @14.00

It's pretty impressive. But then, I've been impressed by things like this since I moved here, and am still surprised at times, 20 years later!

Test was negative so all good. I have the info on email and text so can take along to my appointment.

It is pretty efficient, but just in case yours is a bit later with results don't worry... We posted in a priority box but didn't get results in until midnight to 3am the next day, so up to 37 hours later. We are in a surge testing area though, so could be a bit slower because of that. Officially it's anything up to 72 hours to get results from any way of testing, though with in-person testing before we got results within 12 hours.

Oh sorry, I didn't read properly, good that you're negative. Good luck with your treatment.

I struggled to believe it as well, but saw the Royal Mail van go past our house just after the last collection time yesterday (on a Sunday), so it must have been picking up the tests from the priority box at the end of our road.

@WhatHaveIFound

Have they not said to arrange a collection from home?

My mum has been testing and isolating before each hospital appointment (4 times so far) and she has to register the hospital test kit online, then arrange for a Royal Mail collection.

When I say she has to do it, she just does the test and I arrange everything else!

I saw that when I registered the home test, but no, I don't think so as the instructions were pretty casual.

To be honest, it's kind of ridiculous. I visited the exact same hospital to see the consultant two weeks ago. This trip involves the actual procedure which will take, they tell me, approximately 30 minutes. Then I will be sent home immediately (it's all under local).

So basically, the time I will spend at the hospital is only slightly more than the original appointment etc, but for this one I need to pre-self-isolate and take tests.... I will not be in a ward or anything. But it is what it is, so I am following all instructions.

I posted one last Friday because the Zoe app asked me too (just had a headache) and I still haven't had the results. I'm glad I'm not isolating! Starting to think they've lost it :-/ I guess I'll call if it takes much longer.

When I've done them in the past it's been very quick, less than 24 hours from posting.

Hmm: I used a priority post box on the Sunday before the Bank Holiday - the test wasn't logged as arriving until the Wednesday afternoon. Once it had arrived it was processed quickly.

Hope this doesn't seem like too much of a high jack : where can I track the box i posted yesterday. I can't find anything to tell me how to do that.

It would be good to know it has at least arrived.