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Original poster

Track and Trace calculated date wrongly - no grounds for appeal?

87 replies

Sparklefish99 · 07/10/2021 04:32

My son had a positive LFT last Thursday so I ordered a PCR test. It didn’t arrive until late on Saturday so he took it first thing on Monday morning. The results came back positive on Tuesday. I had the call from track and trace and they asked about his symptoms etc. I said that he didn’t have symptoms now, but did the previous Thursday and explained that he’d had a positive LFT on that day too. I then had a follow up email from them which calculated his isolation period from the Monday (when he took the PCR) not the Thursday (when he had symptoms and a positive LFT). This was obviously wrong so I called to explain the situation fully expecting them to admit the mistake and change it. However I was told that once the date was in the system there is nothing that can be done! This was so incredibly infuriating as it clearly was their mistake. I asked if they could listen to the recording of the conversation, but they refused and just reiterated that the date given for the end of his isolation period had to stay and that there was no grounds for appeal.

This now means that he would have to miss almost an additional week of school unnecessarily. He’s in the sixth form and I really don’t want him to do this, especially as there’s no online lessons etc.

Has anyone else had this experience and managed to appeal? (I was told that there was no appeal process even though it’s clearly their mistake). I’m also tempted just to send him in anyway, 10 days from the positive LFT, and just hope they don’t check.

OP posts:

Original poster

Sparklefish99 · 07/10/2021 07:36

@Cao77

I would be careful about ignoring the isolation period given by T&T, even though it is a mistake. When my son tested positive a letter was sent to his school confirming him as positive case, which I received a copy of, it also outlined the £10k fine if you were caught not isolating. Hence, if I'd have sent him back to school before the isolation period, school would have been able to report this...did you register your son's sixth form information when ordering the test?

Yes, I gave his school details. I’ll see what they say but I can’t imagine they would report him!

OP posts:

Original poster

Sparklefish99 · 07/10/2021 07:40

@Barkingdog
They have given him work to do but it’s not online lessons as such. The school have been brilliant during the whole covid period but I think it’s really hard for teachers to teach the majority of the students in the classroom and one online at home at the same time.

OP posts:

Helspopje · 07/10/2021 07:42

They calculate from the pcr, not lft so no mistake

Mybalconyiscracking · 07/10/2021 07:45

Send him back 10 days from onset of symptoms. Which was the Thursday!

Barkingdog · 07/10/2021 07:46

[quote Sparklefish99]@Barkingdog
They have given him work to do but it’s not online lessons as such. The school have been brilliant during the whole covid period but I think it’s really hard for teachers to teach the majority of the students in the classroom and one online at home at the same time.[/quote]
It's good to hear that you are pleased with the school and yes it is tricky doing hybrid lessons however that's exactly what they should be doing. I work in a school and this is what we do. It's become quite normal now!

dementedpixie · 07/10/2021 07:48

@Helspopje

They calculate from the pcr, not lft so no mistake

They should count from symptoms, not the test so there is a mistake

Original poster

Sparklefish99 · 07/10/2021 07:58

Yes, and they’ve even admitted it’s a mistake but that it can’t be changed.

OP posts:

ittakes2 · 07/10/2021 07:59

Did you log his positive lateral flow test on the Thursday? I am guessing you didn’t as they would have taken that as the date if you did. When you ordered the test you must have said why you wanted it ie he had a positive test or he had symptoms. I don’t believe they can’t change it because they changed mine because they got it wrong so keep pushing.

ittakes2 · 07/10/2021 08:02

They calculated my daughters from the posting lateral flow but I did log that. You would have a record on system of ordering the pcr test. Your council also has a track and trace service - ring them and the explain they can also see your records and get advice from them. They added a day to my daughters isolation.

ajauagsk · 07/10/2021 08:07

@Barkingdog out of interest how do you tackle the practical subjects doing it this way? Are the ones at home set something different to do?

Bordois · 07/10/2021 08:08

Advice given by T&T is contradictory depending on who you speak too.

My son had a positive LFT on tuesday and i had felt unwell since the Sunday (not the classic covid symptom). We both went for a PCR on Wednesday.

When T&T contacted me they said they would calculate from the day of symptoms (so from sunday). When T&T called about my son they said it was from the day of the test.

T&T also told me that I needed to take another PCR at the end of my isolation- I said this goes against the advice given by the NHS but I guess this wasn't on their script so they couldn't answer that.

Frazzled2207 · 07/10/2021 08:10

@Sparklefish99

The nearest test centre that had slots was an hour round trip and I didn’t have enough petrol. Also when you register to get a PCR test they make it clear that they prefer people to use the postal tests and leave the slots at the test centres for key workers.

That is not true I just had to book my son in for later today and saw no such question.

Frazzled2207 · 07/10/2021 08:11

Ps I’d be surprised if the school needed some official proof of any kind. I’d just send him in as per your original calculation.

Frazzled2207 · 07/10/2021 08:14

@Barkingdog

Why is his school not providing online lessons? There's no excuse not to nearly two years into the pandemic. Your annoyance should be with them rather than track and trace.

To be fair to schools they really don’t have in most cases enough resources to deal with the the kids in school AND those at home. They can’t exactly magic up extra teachers. To some extent easier when everyone was at home.

I know one sixth form where every single class is zoomed for the small proportion at home. I don’t think that’s common.

Nowmum43 · 07/10/2021 08:22

I did a postal PCR for my DD yesterday, it clearly states on the instructions that the must on be posted on a Sunday or bank holiday and must be posted on the day the PCR is done. So there was no option for the OP than to do it Monday morning.
I'm hoping of my DD is positive they take it from Monday when her symptoms started as I don't get paid to be at home with her so an extra 3 days would be a nightmare

Nowmum43 · 07/10/2021 08:22

@Nowmum43

I did a postal PCR for my DD yesterday, it clearly states on the instructions that the must on be posted on a Sunday or bank holiday and must be posted on the day the PCR is done. So there was no option for the OP than to do it Monday morning. I'm hoping of my DD is positive they take it from Monday when her symptoms started as I don't get paid to be at home with her so an extra 3 days would be a nightmare

Must NOT be posted on a Sunday or bank holiday

Original poster

Sparklefish99 · 07/10/2021 08:36

@ittakes2

Yes, I did log the lateral flow test. It’s good to hear they changed yours, I’ll keep trying, thanks.

OP posts:

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 07/10/2021 08:39

This happened to me when my sister in law misremembered the day we'd last seen each other, she thought Thursday but it was Tuesday and the +ve test came on the following Saturday.

I got a text telling me I was a close contact and there was nothing I could do about it! They just didn't want to know!

Original poster

Sparklefish99 · 07/10/2021 08:39

@Nowmum43
If it is positive, when you get the call from track and trace I would be really clear to say when the symptoms started, check they’ve got that info correct and ask them to confirm when they will calculate the isolation period from. Then hopefully you won’t have the situation that I’m in.

OP posts:

Soontobe60 · 07/10/2021 08:44

@Sparklefish99

No they don’t! Both me and DH have had a few tests, we’ve generally done the drop in centre ones. If he tested positive on Thursday, but only ended up doing the PCR test on Monday, that’s on you. Why did he wait til then to do a test that arrived 2 days earlier?

WhereIsMumHiding3 · 07/10/2021 08:44

Yes, I gave his school details. I’ll see what they say but I can’t imagine they would report him!

You don't mess around with public health legislation, in the case of contagious diseases - it has real teeth.

Regardless of whether T&T made an initial mistake & counted from wrong day 4 days too late, legally your DS is required to isolate at home until the date T&T told you.

School would be required to report, it's not optional. I think T&T are still notifying schools of positive results.

T&T are mostly contact centre employees following a script (like NHS direct call takers are), sure they'll make mistakes, but it is the system we have.

** It will have be a deliberate decision they made not to have edit option on the self isolation end date - re risks of bribery/ fraud- which may have had big incentives last year midst pandemic to the detriment of public health.

We're all a bit more relaxed & casual about Covid now, but when these amendments in public health legislation were written - it was serous scary stuff risking 100,000s lives.

Tldr: Follow T&T advice and isolation date, even if you think it's wrong,

Soontobe60 · 07/10/2021 08:51

[quote Sparklefish99]@Nowmum43
If it is positive, when you get the call from track and trace I would be really clear to say when the symptoms started, check they’ve got that info correct and ask them to confirm when they will calculate the isolation period from. Then hopefully you won’t have the situation that I’m in.[/quote]
When we had our tests last month, mine came back negative but DHs was positive. This was an email confirmation. It had the dates of when he needed to self isolate til on the email, and it was 10 days from the date the PCR was taken. Only after that did he get a follow up call from T+T.

Original poster

Sparklefish99 · 07/10/2021 08:53

The test centre was too far away and I didn’t have enough petrol. I did think that they asked people to get a postal test if they weren’t essential workers but I may have remembered that wrongly.

I ordered a test as soon as his lateral flow was positive. It didn’t arrive until Sat afternoon and the priority post box near us didn’t have a collection until Monday. As you’re supposed to do the test and post on the same day I did it on Monday. I couldn’t do it on Sunday as the nearest priority post box with a Sunday collection was too far away (not enough petrol to get there and back).

I don’t really see what else I could have done other than ask a friend to take the test to a box with a Sunday collection on the Sunday.

OP posts:

SoOvethis · 07/10/2021 08:57

@Sparklefish99
I am surprised by your experience. I called track and trace for someone I know whose English isn’t very good and was confused about the whole system. This was first week of September. Track and trace had also given her a much longer quarantine period than she was meant to have.
I had no issues changing it on her behalf! They just said thank you, they will update the system although that might take a little while and she was free to go!

Maybe try and call again and be a bit firmer and say you know that others have been able to rectify their isolation dates as it’s from first day of symptoms, not from the date you received your PCR result.

Original poster

Sparklefish99 · 07/10/2021 09:02

@SoOvethis
Thanks, that’s encouraging, I’ll try again.

OP posts:

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