Told to lie, to get a free Covid test

Hootie19

This isn't sitting comfortably at all. My daughter works at a day nursery. They have been closed since Christmas Eve and reopen next week. 

During the course of the holidays, two members of staff have tested positive for Covid19, with the result that the remaining staff are isolating until Sunday. 

The owner/manager of the nursery has said that no one will be allowed back to work without a negative Covid test. But it seems that if your employer has requested this, and you have no symptoms, you are not entitled to a free test, and have to pay. A quick search shows that a test at Boots costs £120. The nursery staff (at my daughter's level) are paid minimum wage, and she can't afford to pay that. The nursery owner/manager will not fund the tests, and is telling the staff to lie and say that they have symptoms, in order to qualify for a free test. 

Should the nursery be paying for the staff to have tests, or is this just a cost that the staff will have to absorb. The worry is that this will keep happening with the staff having to pay for multiple tests going forwards. My daughter has Type1 diabetes and is therefore in a vulnerable category, so she really needs to know if she has it.

Barny1979

Wouldn't she be eligible for a free test as she has been near someone who has tested positive?

JamoLew

Agree with Barny - plus if she hasn't been contacted by T+T then it isn't an issue

does she not have access to a symptom free testing site ?

Liverpool and York def have them available but I guess it depends on where she is

normanna

You are not entitled to a free test without symptoms on the NHS regardless of being a contact of a positive case.  If someone has been identified as a contact and they complete their isolation period properly then there is absolutely no need to get tested.
  
Employers guidance for even those who have been infected with Covid is not to ask the employee for a re-test after completion of their isolation period so it is definitely not required of contacts who have displayed no symptoms and they've completed their isolation.  If an employer is ignorant of the guidance and unnecessarily asks for a test then they should pay for it privately

JamoLew

normanna said:

You are not entitled to a free test without symptoms on the NHS regardless of being a contact of a positive case.  If someone has been identified as a contact and they complete their isolation period properly then there is absolutely no need to get tested.
  
Employers guidance for even those who have been infected with Covid is not to ask the employee for a re-test after completion of their isolation period so it is definitely not required of contacts who have displayed no symptoms and they've completed their isolation.  If an employer is ignorant of the guidance and unnecessarily asks for a test then they should pay for it privately

false - we have free NHS mass testing facilities specifically for sympton free testing on Merseyside

jackieblack

JamoLew said:

normanna said:

You are not entitled to a free test without symptoms on the NHS regardless of being a contact of a positive case.  If someone has been identified as a contact and they complete their isolation period properly then there is absolutely no need to get tested.
  
Employers guidance for even those who have been infected with Covid is not to ask the employee for a re-test after completion of their isolation period so it is definitely not required of contacts who have displayed no symptoms and they've completed their isolation.  If an employer is ignorant of the guidance and unnecessarily asks for a test then they should pay for it privately

false - we have free NHS mass testing facilities specifically for sympton free testing on Merseyside

But that’s not the case in other parts of the UK
https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
 

Who can get a free test

You can only get a free NHS test if at least one of the following applies:

• you have a high temperature
• you have a new, continuous cough
• you’ve lost your sense of smell or taste or it’s changed
• you’ve been asked to get a test by a local council
• you’re taking part in a government pilot project
• you’ve been asked to get a test to confirm a positive result

You can also get a test for someone you live with if they have symptoms.

If you’re going into hospital

You may need to get tested if you’re due to have surgery or a procedure.

The hospital will arrange this for you. Contact your hospital department if you have any questions. ​

Who cannot get a free test

You cannot use this service to get a test if:

• you’ve come to the UK from a high-risk country
• you’re planning to leave the country
• your employer or school has asked you to get a test but you have no symptoms

You can pay for a private test.

JamoLew

JamoLew said:

Agree with Barny - plus if she hasn't been contacted by T+T then it isn't an issue

does she not have access to a symptom free testing site ?

Liverpool and York def have them available but I guess it depends on where she is

That's why I didn't say it was available throughout the UK  - thought I was being quite specific

givememoney

I live in London and no charge for test here, infact they encourage you to go for a test, symptoms or not

[Deleted User]

givememoney said:

I live in London and no charge for test here, infact they encourage you to go for a test, symptoms or not

Whoever is telling you that shouldn’t be if there are no symptoms. 

millie

We can get a free test here in Solihull if you have no symptoms. I was under the impression that all tier 3 areas were offering them. 

[Deleted User]

millie said:

We can get a free test here in Solihull if you have no symptoms. I was under the impression that all tier 3 areas were offering them. 

I thought that was the intention but hadn’t been all set up yet? Unless there is a link to show this has been done? 

I’m in tier 3 well tier 4 tomorrow and not been told of any venues offering it like that.