UK holidaymakers will benefit from cheaper travel testing
packages, with the price of some tests to fall by a fifth from
today.
The cost of NHS Test and Trace tests for international arrivals
will now be reduced from £88 to £68 for green or fully vaccinated
amber arrivals, and from £170 to £136 for two tests for amber
arrivals who are not fully vaccinated.
The Health Secretary has also announced there will be a rapid
internal review of the pricing and service standards of all
providers of day 2 and 8 tests. Any misleading pricing will be
clamped down on swiftly and we will urgently remove listings
found to have misleading prices. The review will start this
weekend and last 10 days, and providers failing to meet necessary
standards will be urgently removed.
The price of travel testing has fallen significantly. This is the
second time pricing of NHS tests has been reduced, following a
review in May which reduced the cost of a day 2 and 8 package
from £210 to £170.
NHS Test and Trace advertises these tests alongside private
companies’ testing packages and they are available to purchase to
fulfil the UK government’s testing requirements for international
travel.
The Health and Social Care Secretary has also commissioned a
rapid review of the private testing providers list on gov.uk to
ensure the prices advertised align with what is genuinely
available.
This follows a request on Friday 6 August from the Health and
Social Care Secretary for an urgent high-level review from the
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to address exploitative
behaviour in the private testing market and crack down on
excessive pricing or misleading claims. While the CMA carries out
this review it will provide ongoing support to DHSC.
PCR testing remains completely free for people with symptoms of
COVID-19, and – from 16 August – for people who are double jabbed
or under 18 and have been identified as a close contact of
someone with the virus.
People can continue to book free PCR tests, or order home PCR
tests online or by calling 119, but as has always been the case,
all tests used for travel must be purchased.
Health and Social Care Secretary
said:
“I know how much people have looked forward to their summer
holidays and that the cost of PCR testing can be a barrier to
that. That is why I am determined to protect consumers and
hardworking families from exploitative practices and ensure high
quality tests are available at a reasonable price.
“I am pleased to announce that with immediate effect we’re
slashing the price of day 2 and 8 tests from NHS Test and Trace
by a fifth – this will benefit people right across the UK. And I
look forward to reviewing initial advice from the Competition and
Markets Authority over the coming days. I’ve also ordered my
department to urgently review the list of private providers on
gov.uk to ensure pricing is clearer and transparent. Any provider
found to be misleading the public will be kicked off.
“Too many providers are acting like cowboys and that needs to
stop. The public should be allowed to enjoy their summer holidays
without having to face excessive costs or anxiety.”
Top quality clinical standards are fundamental to a successful
testing programme. Test providers must use laboratories that are
either accredited or undergoing accreditation by the independent
United Kingdom Accreditation Service. Companies using
laboratories that fail to meet the high standards required will
be removed from the list of approved suppliers without
hesitation.
Notes to editors
- The 6 August letter from the Health and Social Care Secretary
to the CMA can be found here
- The response from the CMA can be found here
- Anyone who has concerns about the trading standards of an
individual company may wish to contact their local trading
standards office: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-trading-standards-office
- This does not apply to those that are returning from red list
countries.
