Free rapid lateral flow tests for people to collect and use at home

Local pharmacies have stocks of free testing kits for you to collect.

Rapid, regular testing is now available to everyone in England and the new ‘Pharmacy Collect’ service provides an additional route to regular testing, making it as easy as possible for people without COVID-19 symptoms to access testing twice a week.

The Pharmacy Collect service is available to people aged over 18 without symptoms, who are able to visit a participating local pharmacy and collect a box of 7 rapid tests to use twice a week at home.

Alongside the rollout of the vaccine, testing will form a crucial part of everyday life as parts of society reopen. Around 1 in 3 people with coronavirus don’t have symptoms, which means they can spread the virus without knowing it. Regular testing continues to play a critical role in stopping the spread of the virus and breaking the chains of transmission.

For sites in North West Norfolk, use this online checker to find the nearest pharmacy offering free rapid test kits. Local pharmacies with testing kits available include: in Hunstanton (Boots and Lincoln Co-op (adjacent to the Surgery), Boots in Heacham, Alan Stockley in Snettisham and Boots in Dersingham.

New analysis by NHS Test and Trace shows lateral flow (LFD) tests to have a specificity of at least 99.9%. This means that for every 1,000 lateral flow tests carried out, there is fewer than one false positive result. All positive results from LFD tests must be followed up with a confirmatory PCR test within 72 hours. Confirmatory PCR testing will also mean variants of concern are detected more quickly.

The instruction leaflet inside each box is easy to follow and includes information about how to take the test and how to report the result - and it is important to report negative results. People should self-isolate if they get a positive result and order a confirmatory PCR test online or by calling 119.