Why can't you use an NHS test for travel?

ThisnotThat

davidexmachina said:

I'm of the view that if there is capacity at test centres, then it would make sense to allow it to be used - at a charge - for this purpose. And from what I see locally, there is plenty of capacity. 

Shouldn't be hard to manage - if you want your passport number on the result, that's something you have to pay for...

Politically it wouldn't be a very good idea.

I could easily see the opposition using this to claim the Government is "encouraging" people to make trips abroad, something which many people still feel is "irresponsible" (and probably some of that is from jealousy.)

I don't think I'd hand them such an easy win for basically no payoff.

lisyloo

bagand96 said:

theDon876 said:

epm-84 said:

Things required solely for international travel are never free from the NHS. If you need a Yellow Fever vaccine solely because you are travelling to a country where there might be Yellow Fever then you need to pay.

Exactly, I have my answer which is profit for the medical industry. A medical tryanny. Does this not raise any eyebrows or call for an investigation?

So if you need a test because you want to go on holiday, or you need a vaccine because you want to go on holiday, you expect the taxpayer to cover you for it?  Would you like me to pick up your airport parking too?  Maybe chip in for a round at Wetherspoons in the departure lounge?

The NHS has finite funds.  We will all have our opinions on the reasoning behind that, but I personally would agree that the funds are better spent elsewhere than paying for people's travel requirements.

It can be argued both ways.
travel jabs are not usually mandatory.
Many people wouldn’t pay and then the nhs could have much higher costs especially if it’s an infectious disease, so there is both an economic and public health argument to vaccination.

MattMattMattUK

theDon876 said:

epm-84 said:

Things required solely for international travel are never free from the NHS. If you need a Yellow Fever vaccine solely because you are travelling to a country where there might be Yellow Fever then you need to pay.

Exactly, I have my answer which is profit for the medical industry. A medical tryanny. Does this not raise any eyebrows or call for an investigation?

No, you are choosing to travel, that has costs associated with it, pay the costs or do not travel, do not expect to be able to pass the cost associated with your travel onto the taxpayer. 

epm-84

bagand96 said:

theDon876 said:

epm-84 said:

Things required solely for international travel are never free from the NHS. If you need a Yellow Fever vaccine solely because you are travelling to a country where there might be Yellow Fever then you need to pay.

Exactly, I have my answer which is profit for the medical industry. A medical tryanny. Does this not raise any eyebrows or call for an investigation?

So if you need a test because you want to go on holiday, or you need a vaccine because you want to go on holiday, you expect the taxpayer to cover you for it?  Would you like me to pick up your airport parking too?  Maybe chip in for a round at Wetherspoons in the departure lounge?

To be honest most people go on holiday abroad at some point and most people who go on holiday pay taxes, so if testing were to remain in place longer term there's two options:

1. Travellers pay directly it means a roughly fixed cost per trip for everyone e.g. if you need one test and it costs £100 then you pay £100 per person each time you go on a trip.

2. If the NHS pays then it means everyone will pay a bit more NI and those on lower incomes may pay £20 a year for unlimited tests, while those on higher incomes could pay £500 a year for unlimited tests. However, children don't pay NI so for families the unlimited test cost includes their children, not just themselves.

You could argue the rich likely pay more to go on holidays but those returning from a 3 week cruise around South America wouldn't need more tests post-trip than someone who does 3 European city breaks a year.

[Deleted User]

MattMattMattUK said:

theDon876 said:

epm-84 said:

Things required solely for international travel are never free from the NHS. If you need a Yellow Fever vaccine solely because you are travelling to a country where there might be Yellow Fever then you need to pay.

Exactly, I have my answer which is profit for the medical industry. A medical tryanny. Does this not raise any eyebrows or call for an investigation?

No, you are choosing to travel, that has costs associated with it, pay the costs or do not travel, do not expect to be able to pass the cost associated with your travel onto the taxpayer. 

I understand there's always a temptation to pile in and scoff at the OP in these cases, but it is worth saying that some people do have to travel for various legitimate reasons. A friend of mine had to travel to France recently after their son had a heart attack and the cost just on testing when leaving and arriving in the UK was over £300. The cost for testing in France was nothing.

If you compare with other countries then I do think the cost of testing in the UK at the moment is over the odds, almost willfully so because of the perception (as shown by this thread) that everybody travelling is just off on holiday.

MattMattMattUK

gordon_harris said:

MattMattMattUK said:

theDon876 said:

epm-84 said:

Things required solely for international travel are never free from the NHS. If you need a Yellow Fever vaccine solely because you are travelling to a country where there might be Yellow Fever then you need to pay.

Exactly, I have my answer which is profit for the medical industry. A medical tryanny. Does this not raise any eyebrows or call for an investigation?

No, you are choosing to travel, that has costs associated with it, pay the costs or do not travel, do not expect to be able to pass the cost associated with your travel onto the taxpayer. 

I understand there's always a temptation to pile in and scoff at the OP in these cases, but it is worth saying that some people do have to travel for various legitimate reasons. A friend of mine had to travel to France recently after their son had a heart attack and the cost just on testing when leaving and arriving in the UK was over £300. The cost for testing in France was nothing.

If you compare with other countries then I do think the cost of testing in the UK at the moment is over the odds, almost willfully so because of the perception (as shown by this thread) that everybody travelling is just off on holiday.

There might be a legitimate reason (indeed travel was not allowed without one up until very recently), but that does not mean that costs associated with that international travel should be transferred from the individual to the taxpayer. 

michael1234

bagand96 said:

theDon876 said:

epm-84 said:

Things required solely for international travel are never free from the NHS. If you need a Yellow Fever vaccine solely because you are travelling to a country where there might be Yellow Fever then you need to pay.

Exactly, I have my answer which is profit for the medical industry. A medical tryanny. Does this not raise any eyebrows or call for an investigation?

So if you need a test because you want to go on holiday, or you need a vaccine because you want to go on holiday, you expect the taxpayer to cover you for it?  Would you like me to pick up your airport parking too?  Maybe chip in for a round at Wetherspoons in the departure lounge?

The NHS has finite funds.  We will all have our opinions on the reasoning behind that, but I personally would agree that the funds are better spent elsewhere than paying for people's travel requirements.

At face value you make a good argument.
There is the counter argument that significant infrastructure has a long history of being subsidised including travel. Even now the government frequently has to bail out this or that train company. Postal and telephony services are still hugely subsidised in rural parts of the company. You might say "why should I pay for your broadband because you chose to live in the middle of nowhere?".

My feeling is possibly somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. We don't want to pay for everyone's holiday but we do want as far as reasonably possible create conditions in which travel is available with as few restrictions/difficulties as possible. The current situation allows for dozens of private companies to make a lot of money out of people's misery. I wonder if instead the government could have made available tests at cost (or even small proffit to the NHS) to its citizens who are using them for private travel.

They might also consider improving the current situation where there are many inconsistencies in the processes making the process even more difficult. (e.g. day 5 results mean end of quarantine but day 8 results do not since you need to wait until day 11).

briskbeats

davidexmachina said:

I'm of the view that if there is capacity at test centres, then it would make sense to allow it to be used - at a charge - for this purpose. And from what I see locally, there is plenty of capacity. 

Shouldn't be hard to manage - if you want your passport number on the result, that's something you have to pay for...

Exactly - I agree using the current testing centres for payable foreign travel tests.

A colleague living opposite a walk in test centre (which is in the open - goodness knows what they do when its been raining and windy) and had CCTV installed since the centre opened as more people visiting the area. She scans the footage and sees hardly anyone using it during the past 6 weeks. Council's cases are 10 per 100k - at one point, we were in the top 10. The 2-3 cases council gets daily come from one Upper Tier Local Authority area (similar to council wards). On going through the motions of booking a test at the venue - there are hundreds of slots available.

All it requires on booking test for foreign travel is a question on the booking page "Are you booking this test for foreign travel?" Yes - then takes you to another question about others in your group and add their names, passport numbers etc. Then go to payment screen and enter card details.

The test centres will know on scanning QR code on phone or print out that test is for travel and get the extra paperwork out and scan barcode/QR code to tally the test goes with that certificate.

epm-84

One of the issues with using NHS test centres for foreign travel tests (whether or not the tests are chargeable) is they need to prioritise testing for those with symptoms, meaning if there's an outbreak it might be difficult to process chargeable tests at the same facility and return the results in the time frame needed for international travel.

It's often a test result in the previous 72 hours that's required so if you have a flight arriving at say 1am on Sunday, the test needs to be taken after 1am on Thursday. Realistically that means the test will be taken no earlier than around 9am on Thursday and the results need to be ready for when you arrive at the airport on Saturday so the test results need to be processed in 2 days. That is a shorter time frame than some of the NHS tests have been processed in.

mattyprice4004

Because my taxes shouldn’t pay for you to go on holiday