I wanted to see if I was eligible for a free Covid test, just out of curiosity, not because I have it. It's quite a mission to find out the criteria but I finally tracked it down on the NICE website.
It doesn't make for good reading, you'll have to be seriously ill before you don't have to pay for one.
Just thought that I'd share in case anyone else was wondering too.
Below is pasted from the site and here's the link:
Asthma in people on oral corticosteroids (defined above). Any asthma patient taking immunosuppressants for their asthma including but not exclusively methotrexate, ciclosporin. Frequent exacerbations requiring 4 or more courses of prednisolone per year, usually 40 mg per day for 5 days or more
COPD on long term home non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Patients on long term oxygen therapy. People with moderate or severe disease (FEV1 less than or equal to 50% predicted) who have required 4 or more courses of prednisolone 30 mg for 5 days or greater in last 12 months
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Coughingalltheway
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If you have a chronic lung condition, take a recent letter from your respiratory consultant or nurse to prove you are vulnerable to Covid and show it to the pharmacist - Boots or another pharmacy and you should get a box of tests (4 or 5 tests in a box if memory serves) free.
Being on pension credit, I cannot afford the tests. I had covid in June so used an old out of date one - I have loads. I discovered that it's highly unlikely that they will give a false positive result so that was good enough for me and carried on using them and will use again if necessary. There's absolutely no incentive for poorer people to take covid tests, test their school age children (or keep them off school) or reports any positive results. It feels as though they don't give a toss anymore about lung compromised people. I feel for people on chemotherapy, it must be an awful worry.
Having my first Covid infection wasn't nearly as bad as expected although the 3 months of post covid fatigue was.
I'm interested to know why they don't even test you in hospital anymore? The Government keeps putting out warnings but the NHS doesn't seem bothered anymore 🤔
I've not seen warnings, surely if we have anything serious it should be investigated regardless. It's more than 4yrs on, it maybe a completely different virus. Everything is serious to compromised individuals. Many of the drugs offered will help
I went to get mine and was told no because I’m not on steroids. She had looked at my hospital letters stating my conditions and meds and decided I wasn’t eligible. I told her you can’t be more immune suppressed than needing immunoglobulin every week and she went and got them. The people who are making the decisions don’t understand what they are doing. I don’t really like discussing all this in front of a queue in Boots!
I do find that the assistants in Boots are often jobs-worths. I went in there once for some steroid cream as I have eczema and she demanded to know where about on my body I had it in front of a queue of people. When I said that it was under my chin, she refused to sell it to me as she decided that it was part of my face and told me to go to the GP instead. What a waste of time! I went to my local chemist who gave it to me without any questions. I've had eczema for over 60 years so I think that I know a little bit more about it than her!
TBH I thought as soon as she had seen my conditions and meds she would know I was entitled. She clearly wasn’t knowledgeable enough to make the call. I was a whisper away from asking to see the pharmacist when she saw decided to get them.
Hi, personally when I was prescribed Pred course it worked well, so much so I asked if I could have a lower dose permanently but was told emphatically NO! I hope you feel better soon 🤞🏻
The criteria that gets the free tests are the ones who are elegible for treatments if they test positive due to the higher risk of extreme illness. This has been proven to myself recently when i got the common cold and it tried its best to get rid of me, bringing the realisation of how dangerous covid still is for those at highest risk. The hospitals do still carryout covid tests alongside other respiratory viruses for thise symptomatic, they do not do it for the asymptomatic.
The list is longer than just those two items though. For example, certain meds; having ILD (all qualify); sub-types of ILD (like mine which is caused by lupus) who have had certain medications with no lower dose criteria; sub-types not treated with those meds because of intolerance but with FEV predicted less than 60%; NIV and tracheostomy (regardless of the cause); pulmonary hypertension groups 1 and 4.
That’s before you look at other things like immune deficiency, autoimmune disorders, neurological conditions.
The list is actually quite extensive.
The full list (just for respiratory):
Respiratory
Asthma in people on oral corticosteroids (defined above). Any asthma patient taking immunosuppressants for their asthma including but not exclusively methotrexate, ciclosporin. Frequent exacerbations requiring 4 or more courses of prednisolone per year, usually 40 mg per day for 5 days or more
COPD on long term home non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Patients on long term oxygen therapy. People with moderate or severe disease (FEV1 less than or equal to 50% predicted) who have required 4 or more courses of prednisolone 30 mg for 5 days or greater in last 12 months
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) – all patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Sub-types of ILD, for example, connective tissue disease related, sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, NSIP (non-specific interstitial pneumonia) who have received a B-cell depleting therapy in last 12 months, or IV or oral cyclophosphamide in the 6 months prior to testing positive for COVID‑19. Any ILD patient on current treatment with corticosteroids, mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, tacrolimus, cyclosporin or methotrexate. No minimum dose criteria
Any people with any type of ILD who may not be on treatment due to intolerance but has severe disease with an FVC predicted less than 60%
NIV and tracheostomy ventilated – all patients requiring this type of support regardless of the underlying disorder (which might include COPD, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, scoliosis, bronchiectasis, neurodisability and genetic muscular diseases [refer to neurology section]).
HiI got this via email towards the end of last year. It has a special ref number on for me to provide to pharmacy to enable me to get free covid tests. I use supplementry oxygen and I am diabetic. I almost deleted this as I was not expecting it. Do you think you may have had a letter in the post or even an email ?
Hope this helps
Your medical records currently show you might be suitable for treatments if you get COVID.
This letter explains that:
You should keep lateral flow tests at home.
You should take a test if you have COVID symptoms.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
swollen stomach
Has anyone with COPD tried to reduce daily steroid dose.
Uncontrolled Asthma, repeated asthma attacks every day. Do I have bronchiectasis? 
Congestion
Prednisone Queen
