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??

This is crazy. I work for the prison service, we have to LFT every day prior to start of shift and they give us a box a week to do it with.

Our trust has just posted this update -
‘There is currently an increased demand for LFDs on the government portal/home ordering service. We have been informed that there will be a ‘NHS & Keyworker gateway’ implemented imminently with a ring- fenced amount of LFD kits available for NHS staff. The level of kits available has been set higher than any current demand patterns seen. Until this is in place, please continue to try to obtain kits from the government portal.’

Will we have to pay for them though?

I haven't managed to order a box for over a week now. It's rife round here with people going down like flies.
Problem is that I've heard several times from people whose family members have it that they can't test because they can't get tests, so they're going about their normal business-then you hear they've tested positive followed a short number of days later the group they met for coffee...
We're in the middle of a chain reaction....

@Princessbubbles

Our trust has just posted this update - ‘There is currently an increased demand for LFDs on the government portal/home ordering service. We have been informed that there will be a ‘NHS & Keyworker gateway’ implemented imminently with a ring- fenced amount of LFD kits available for NHS staff. The level of kits available has been set higher than any current demand patterns seen. Until this is in place, please continue to try to obtain kits from the government portal.’

Is that different to the change they made to the government portal last Thursday?

Bunch of fucking idiots. They must have realised that NHS trusts would need to know what the government were planning so they could make plans for their staff.

Our Trust says NHSE are going to give instructions next week! We’re testing before every shift - CEV chemo patients. It won’t happen unless staff have free access to LFTs. And yes, Covid rife amongst staff and patients. Many staff have dodged it fo 2 years, succumbing now, possibly because boosters all more than 6 months ago - no word on further boosters for HCPs either. But hey ho, we’re all living with it now…..

Have you got a covid coordinator or hub you can contact?

The government website adds new tests at 8am, midday and 5pm I think so try at those times.

According to our trust, NHS staff now have priority if registered with an nhs email. This seems to be in addition to the button they added last week. It does mean you need to change the email address you’ve registered with if you normally use a personal one.

I work in a school and we get given them.

@Princessbubbles

Our trust has just posted this update - ‘There is currently an increased demand for LFDs on the government portal/home ordering service. We have been informed that there will be a ‘NHS & Keyworker gateway’ implemented imminently with a ring- fenced amount of LFD kits available for NHS staff. The level of kits available has been set higher than any current demand patterns seen. Until this is in place, please continue to try to obtain kits from the government portal.’

They're meant to continue to be available free to the highly immune suppressed too (the 3rd primary jab group).

It's proving impossible to order online at the moment (will just have to keep trying) and there's no word that I've seen on how we will be able to get hold of them

Our LFT team sent out an email sayisn we MUST all test twice a week, and to ask your manager if you can't get tests.

I asked my manager. She said to order though the government portal.

Nuts.

I got an email from work today, not sure it’s accurate.

Says to carry on ordering for free via govt portal, if you click the yes I’m an nhs worker that they will remain free. 🤷‍♀️ Anyway not able to get any even when I click the nhs worker box and put my trust in. I’ll just go to work regardless. Certainly not paying.

I’ve just managed to order after trying all day and getting nowhere. No communication from my trust as yet but I sure as hell won’t be paying for them!

We have on site spit in a test tube tests and lab results same day by email - so no LFTs. No signs of this ending.

Where I work we have never had to do routine LFTs.

We just do PCR’s through work if we have any symptoms.

Im not NHS but I don't understand the comments of no tests being available as every time I go on, I get them no problem. I think it is because I click Scotland and we are currently allowed to have them for asymptomatic testing. I am talking general public here not nhs. I ordered some today and so did my brother [ Different household in Scotland]

Our trust has announced testing ends next week. No asymptomatic tests for staff or patients. Masks and distancing under review. Not sure how that works with the worsening clinical outcomes up to 7 weeks post covid they recently announced but hey, wahdoiknow 🤷‍♂️

@De88

We have on site spit in a test tube tests and lab results same day by email - so no LFTs. No signs of this ending.

This has to end by June but many labs are closing early. Ours is March 31st. Another gov initiative losing funding.

Ours is by end of 31st of March too. Didn’t realise they had the option of continuing until June. I’ve got one pot left so will switch to LFTs next week.

@JustALittleHelpPlease

We've had 10 plus patients test positive this week, and several staff members.

Things are worse than ever in our Trust overall.....you'd think there might be a cohesive policy for the whole NHS, but as you say, what the hell would we know - we are simply dealing with patients and their relatives.

Im not NHS but I don't understand the comments of no tests being available as every time I go on, I get them no problem

Surely you understand that it depends where you live and how many they have in stock? Doesn’t apply to all.

They've been out of stock here for a couple of days - which is a pity as there is a critically vulnerable person (extra jab, severely immune suppressed) person in the household, and they are meant to be prioritised for tests. But as the ordering form doesn't marry up (it seems) to NHS number, we're not identified in the system and so the alleged priority cannot be delivered.

We're still under guidance to meet only vaccinated people, outdoors if at all possible, and to have any visitors take LFTs

@anotherbrewplease is there a way for you to private message me? I am on a FB nursing forum and learnt about a good hack for NHS staff getting LFTs the other day, tried it myself last night and it worked. But don't really want to post on such a massive forum here for everyone to see/do.

I kike the fact that our trust made this announcement and included a helpful link to all the updated SOPs. Clicking the link brings you to a page that says they will be available on the day the new policy begins. So, as always everyone will know exactly what they are doing and be well prepared ahead of time then... It would be laughable if it weren't so ridiculous.

Our trust is actually crippled with cases now. Operations cancelled, numbers higher than in January. However only 3 in ICU and almost all others are in for something else not covid. Add to that the asymptomatic staff sat at home getting frustrated and it has become impossible so I do see why they feel this has to be considered as an option. I'm not totally convinced it is the right option though.