Free Lateral Flow Tests

[swimswam]

Can anyone inform me if MPN patient on medication can still obtain free lateral flow tests from a pharmacy. I went to get some more today and was told the government had stopped providing them?

[MckChelly]

I haven't checked recently on the government we site, but I git some free from my pharmacy 2 weeks ago

[Ebot]

Hi

GOV.UK website has comprehensive advice and links on this one. However, it does use the word ‘may’ quite a bit!

Essentially if you’re eligible for COVID 19 treatment you should be eligible for free LFTs. There’s an address checker to find out which local pharmacies should be able to supply kits.

As far as I recall just having an MPN was not in itself enough to qualify for Covid treatments. You needed to be on treatments that would make you immunocompromised as well. However, if you’re eligible for the Covid boosters, can’t see why this shouldn’t be proof enough. Whether pharmacies have any in stock …

[MWxxxx]

Hi. Yes as others have said you have to be taking an immune suppressant such as interferon, hydroxy or rux etc and be eligible for consideration for additional treatments if you get covid. However, you cannot get the free tests from any pharmacy. Your pharmacy has to have signed up with the government initiative and there are not so many of them around as they get nothing out of it apart from a lot of paperwork! If you have a Boots pharmacy near you, it may be worth trying them as my local Boots stock them and I am assuming that if one does then the whole chain has probably signed up. Good luck, I find it irritating that we have to jump through so many hoops to get what we are entitled to. Go prepared with a printout of the government website page, your medication and any letters you have about your condition or entitlement to boosters and/or additional treatments (and be prepared to complete a form every single time you pick up a box). you only get one box with 5 tests.

[SRH55]

I tried to get some yesterday, so was interested to read your replies. I went on the government website, but didn’t get anywhere, I looked on the address finder & rang my local pharmacy who said they are no longer supplying the tests free of charge. My husband went and brought some - £1.99 each. If I need some more I’ll ring Boots. I’ve had a SCT so don’t know if that makes a difference.

[Hat3]

I went into my local Boots and they said I had to provide proof that I was immunocompromised. Luckily I have the NHS app so was able to hunt through that to find my hydroxycarbamide prescription and then the pharmacist gave me a free box of tests.

[Ipadlin]

Boots and Well pharmacies are listed here - nhs.uk/service-search/pharm...

[AndyT]

Yes but as others have said, it seems to be a bit hit and miss and you do need proof of immunosupression, such as your invitation for a spring booster.

I got a box of 5 a couple of weeks ago from a Well pharmacy. More recently I tried my local independent pharmacy, who are listed as being an NHS supplier of LFTs but they only had boxes of one and said they could only supply one box per day, so come back each day if I needed more!

[Atirax]

I get free lateral flow tests. I just have to show the email I got from NHS being immunocompromisef

[swimswam]

Thanks for replies, I’ll try again at another Chemist. One of my problems is that I don’t receive emails inviting me for vacations , although I qualify having ET and on Pegasys injections. I have asked at the GP, and my hospital consultant to be put on the NHS list but neither seem to know anything about it. The GP told me to email NHS England but they replied saying they don’t deal with it and sent me an address to complain. I spoke to the specialist nurse at the hospital yesterday and she told me just to take my consultants letters as she didn’t know anything about the notification list 🤷‍♀️