NHS staff getting LFTs

[anotherbrewplease]

We are supposed to be lateral flow testing twice a week, and the department I work in is rife with Covid (staff and patients) but every time I try and order online - it says they have run out of kits!

Not sure how to proceed..

I did try ringing Infection Control in our hospital, they said try 'procurement' and they said 'oh, we don't supply lateral flow tests - you have to get it through the government website'

No way am I going to pay for this.

Just wondered how all the other NHS workers are managing??

Ask your manager and hr

At least you are aware of the expectation to continue LFT!

We’ve heard nothing here going forward.

I’m not sure as we were still able to order last week and dh and I have both ordered separately, so we had a few kits. In his hospital though, they are still doing rapid PCRs for staff with symptoms or with positive family members. I don’t think they’re still expecting LFT.

@Saltyquiche - the Sister on my unit provided me with a few kits 2 weeks ago, when again I couldn't get them online, but we now have none in the department. She's off this week, but could try HR when I'm in tomorrow. They don't have a reputation for being efficient (on other matters) - so not holding my breath there.

I imagine all of the Trusts will issue new guidance soon - how can they say everyone has to LFT twice per week when LFTs aren't freely available? Will they provide them?

I think Trusts will be expected to provide them. I imagine there is a lot of negotiation around this at the moment.

Can you not get them from a chemist?

We have been getting them from the government site. Sometimes you have to try a couple of times but there are always some available reasonably easily. It was tough for a couple of weeks when there was a surge in demand.

Keep trying throughout the day. I’ve just tested positive and need to test on day 5 onwards until I’ve had 2 negative results so I can go back to work (GP practice). I had no tests left. I tried yesterday morning and there were none but tried again around 1.30pm and managed to order some. But I agree that if NHS want us to continue with LFT twice a week then they really should reserve or supply us some.

Our trust stopped routine testing last Monday thank goodness. All non clinical areas are mask free and we are expecting clinical areas to drop masks when not in direct patient contact soon

We were talking about this yesterday. No tests as you can’t get hold of them for love nor money, but still trust policy to test. I don’t know the answer.

I think you have to keep trying several times a day as they release more slots.

We’re being told that they expect that the government will continue to make them free for NHS staff for twice weekly testing. If that’s the case they need to hurry up and announce it. Although I wouldn’t put it past this government not to make them free because ‘covid is over’. If they just made the announcement trusts and staff wouldn’t be in this position of not knowing whether staff are expected to pay to keep patients safe from the end next week and would be able to plan.

Our trust have said that if a patient tests for covid they no longer are moved to the covid ward unless symptomatic.
Staff are to keep wearing face masks and asked to do daily lft.
Covid is rife again in the trust.
I managed to get 2 boxes from the chemist but can get none on line.
We really need to know , will they be free for care workers/nhs or will we have to pay.

We’ve got huge problems here too drink. BA.2 is causing absolute chaos.

If anything we are having to ramp up testing to try and get on top of it and there’s no chance of masks going anytime soon even in non-patient areas.

We can’t get them. The managers are emailing infection control daily asking for advice.
We’re still wearing masks and supposedly testing twice a week.

I won’t be testing unless the NHS supply them. I’m not paying but would pay if I had symptoms. I am so over asymptomatic testing.

Same here. None available for my area on .gov for nearly a week & tumbleweed from hospital big wigs. Meanwhile it's ripping through the wards again.

We are meant to be doing LFT on patients after 10 days...
laughable as no LFT on the wards.

I have COVID at the minute. We wanted some to test the kids if they get symptoms and the pharmacy gave my husband two boxes. Might be a good time to get them now as pharmacies won’t need them soon. After that I’m not going to test if they aren’t provided and I’m guessing our trust will not make us pay for them but get a PCR if symptomatic? I wish they would hurry up and tell us! I’d also like to ditch the masks when none patient facing. Seriously sick of them now!!

You'd hope your trust would have considered what to do when free lfts are stopped (and the inevitable issues with a shortage of tests leading up to that)- evidently though appears not. Procurement would have a massive job on their hands to purchase packs for individual people or even wards- appreciate its bloody frustrating though. Maybe the gov will have considered this (yeah right). Unfortunately just have to keep trying it seems.

Yes yes to not paying for LFTs that they are stipulating NHS staff have to do - it would be laughable but it's not really funny

We have a small supply at work (district)

@anotherbrewplease

Yes yes to not paying for LFTs that they are stipulating NHS staff have to do - it would be laughable but it's not really funny

Yeah exactly, if they are stipulating that staff must continue to test (reasonable) they absolutely should provide them for free still to healthcare settings for staff. I think if they don't it will be the final straw (wouldn't blame them) for many- not good at a time when there are already mass shortages, but they don't seem to care do they :(

@Papayamya - I know right?

Just been looking around online - as just failed again on Gov.uk site as none available still - and found the following article -

nursingnotes.co.uk/news/workforce/nhs-staff-face-50-a-month-lateral-flow-testing-bill-from-next-week/

I shall be forced to use very bad language if this is true - they can fuck right off.

Try a pharmacy! I know some have got an abundance of them from when there was a shortage and then stock came back and every order that was put in went through! My pharmacy ended up with 200 boxes.