Why not NHS test for travel

Doshwaster

J_B said:

Nifty_Purse said:

NHS PCR tests are only for people with symptoms of Covid-19 they are not for people choosing to travel.

Pedant mode:

Not quite - we were contacted by Track & Trace a week after returning from abroad and told to take a PCR test. We had no symptoms.

Same here. Got back from Portugal last week with a negative Day 2 lateral flow test but got pinged today by Track and Trace requiring me to do a PCR as I've been in contact with a positive case. I feel fine and can't think of anyone I've been in touch with since who would have named me.

emmajones1976

Doshwaster said:

J_B said:

Nifty_Purse said:

NHS PCR tests are only for people with symptoms of Covid-19 they are not for people choosing to travel.

Pedant mode:

Not quite - we were contacted by Track & Trace a week after returning from abroad and told to take a PCR test. We had no symptoms.

Same here. Got back from Portugal last week with a negative Day 2 lateral flow test but got pinged today by Track and Trace requiring me to do a PCR as I've been in contact with a positive case. I feel fine and can't think of anyone I've been in touch with since who would have named me.

 Nobody will have named you. It will be everyone within X rows of you on the plane. I have no idea what X is, though.

R3dders

Apparently the whole plane get contacted on short haul flights if there is a positive case on the flight.  People don't sit on allocated seats and move freely about the plane, especially if its not a full flight.  This was confirmed by Track & Trace employee when they contacted us after a flight.

Dottydoolay

Asides from moral implications, you need to pay for a code for your locator form linked to your test. 

Private and paid for tests only for travel.

gary83

The NHS doesn’t give you other services you might need for travelling, for instance had you been travelling somewhere with a malaria risk you’d have to have a private prescription or buy anti malaria tablets over the counter, as the rest of the taxpayers wouldn’t subsidise your holiday in that way, there’s not often complaints about that. yet everyone that chose to travel during a pandemic is once again up in arms about being expected to pay for a test they only need as a result of their choice to travel 

Thrugelmir

R3dders said:

Apparently the whole plane get contacted on short haul flights if there is a positive case on the flight.  People don't sit on allocated seats and move freely about the plane, especially if its not a full flight.  This was confirmed by Track & Trace employee when they contacted us after a flight.

I've a friend who flys regularly between Bristol and Valencia on RyanAir. Always boards last and if one of the front premium seats is empty takes it.  Rarely has to sit in his allocated seat. Which is always the cheapest he can book.

zagfles

gary83 said:

The NHS doesn’t give you other services you might need for travelling, for instance had you been travelling somewhere with a malaria risk you’d have to have a private prescription or buy anti malaria tablets over the counter, as the rest of the taxpayers wouldn’t subsidise your holiday in that way, there’s not often complaints about that. yet everyone that chose to travel during a pandemic is once again up in arms about being expected to pay for a test they only need as a result of their choice to travel 

Our doctors surgery do vaccines for travelling, I had Hep A, typhoid and DTP just 2 years ago, totally free on the NHS. If you get ill abroad you're quite likely to need the NHS when you get back and the cost of treating someone with a serious foreign contracted disease is far greater than the cost of vaccines.

gary83

zagfles said:

gary83 said:

The NHS doesn’t give you other services you might need for travelling, for instance had you been travelling somewhere with a malaria risk you’d have to have a private prescription or buy anti malaria tablets over the counter, as the rest of the taxpayers wouldn’t subsidise your holiday in that way, there’s not often complaints about that. yet everyone that chose to travel during a pandemic is once again up in arms about being expected to pay for a test they only need as a result of their choice to travel 

Our doctors surgery do vaccines for travelling, I had Hep A, typhoid and DTP just 2 years ago, totally free on the NHS. If you get ill abroad you're quite likely to need the NHS when you get back and the cost of treating someone with a serious foreign contracted disease is far greater than the cost of vaccines.

but not anti malaria medication, that has to be paid for as do many other vaccinations you might need (Typhoid, hep A and DTP are pretty much the only ones you’ll get free)

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/travel-vaccinations/

we see lots of people complaining about paying for a PCR test, yet how many of those currently on holiday are actually insured properly? With insurance that would cover them if they actually caught covid. If you’re having to worry about forking out for a PCR test then you probably can’t afford to be travelling at the moment.

mattyprice4004

flopsy1973 said:

Why does the pcr test have to come through a private company for travel . Whats wrong with using the NHS pcr tests ? Will anyone know ? 

If you can afford to travel, you can afford a test.
My taxes aren’t paid for you to go on holiday using NHS tests.  

zagfles

gary83 said:

zagfles said:

gary83 said:

The NHS doesn’t give you other services you might need for travelling, for instance had you been travelling somewhere with a malaria risk you’d have to have a private prescription or buy anti malaria tablets over the counter, as the rest of the taxpayers wouldn’t subsidise your holiday in that way, there’s not often complaints about that. yet everyone that chose to travel during a pandemic is once again up in arms about being expected to pay for a test they only need as a result of their choice to travel 

Our doctors surgery do vaccines for travelling, I had Hep A, typhoid and DTP just 2 years ago, totally free on the NHS. If you get ill abroad you're quite likely to need the NHS when you get back and the cost of treating someone with a serious foreign contracted disease is far greater than the cost of vaccines.

but not anti malaria medication, that has to be paid for as do many other vaccinations you might need (Typhoid, hep A and DTP are pretty much the only ones you’ll get free)

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/travel-vaccinations/

we see lots of people complaining about paying for a PCR test, yet how many of those currently on holiday are actually insured properly? With insurance that would cover them if they actually caught covid. If you’re having to worry about forking out for a PCR test then you probably can’t afford to be travelling at the moment.

We only had LFTs and they were more expensive than the flights! Mind you the flights were £5.

I didn't mind paying for them, but it just seemed silly that I couldn't use the spare NHS tests I already had, wouldn't have minded paying a fee to use them for travel, they could eg add a charge for use of NHS tests when you do the PLF.