From Monday 4th October the travel rules for arrivals to England have changed. If you do not qualify as ‘fully vaccinated’ under the government rules you are required to isolate for 10 days after your arrival in England. Check if you qualify as fully vaccinated by reading the rules here.

The ‘Test to release’ scheme allows people who do not qualify as ‘fully vaccinated’ to shorten their quarantine to as little as 5 days, by taking a Covid-19 PCR test on the 5th day of your isolation. The scheme is voluntary, if you choose not to take part you must isolate for the full 10 days after arrival.

You must also take a Covid-19 PCR test on day 2 and day 8 after your arrival. These are separate tests but we also offer a package option if you would like here. 

Red List Arrivals

From Monday 4th October the travel rules for arrivals to England have changed. Separate rules including hotel quarantine and testing apply to arrivals from ‘Red list’ countries. The latest list of these countries and territories is available here, all bookings for hotel quarantine and testing for these are managed by the government. Arrivals from these places are NOT able to take part in the ‘Day 5 Test to Release’ scheme.

Step 1. When can you take your test

If you wish to take part in the Test to release scheme you will need to book a test and enter the test details on your passenger locator form. This can be done before or after you arrive in England. If you arrange your test after arrival you will need to complete a new passenger locator form available here after you have booked your test.

You are required to isolate for at least 5 FULL days after you were last somewhere NOT on the travel corridor list. You may not undertake your test before the 5th full day. For example, if you leave a non-exempt country on Monday your first full day of isolation is Tuesday and the earliest you can take your test is Saturday.

Please carefully work out which day you need to test. We will also double-check based on the information you provide.

Step 2. Book an at-home or in-clinic test

Before you start the booking process please have the following information to hand, this is needed for each person booking a test.

Name, date of birth, usual address (and address where they will be self-isolating if different), gender, ethnicity, NHS number (if known), all countries visited in the 10 days before their arrival in England, flight number (or vessel or coach number) and passport number.

Follow the booking link at the bottom of the page and enter your information carefully.

Step 3. Your test day

After you have made your booking you will receive an instant email confirmation including booking reference. You will need the booking reference to complete your government passenger locator form.

At-Home Test

For our local and Central London based clients we use a trained courier service to drop your test kits. They will wait for 10 minutes whilst you complete your swab test kit. It will contain full instructions on how to take your sample. It is important to follow the instructions carefully to get an accurate result. Return the completed kit to our courier and we will return your test kit to our laboratory the same day.

Clients further afield in England will have their test kits dispatched by registered Royal Mail next day post. The kit will contain full instructions on how to take a swab safely at home. Once complete the swab kits are placed into the secure packaging and the package can be returned by Royal Mail next day special delivery. The package will already be fully labeled ready to post, check you are using one of the Royal Mail designated priority postboxes on their website here. Due to the ongoing pandemic delay are possible in postage, if you would prefer to use a courier service please contact our team after you have booked for pricing.

In-Clinic Test

We are able to offer appointments at both of our clinics based in West London. Swab samples are taken by our experienced private GPs, in a safe and welcoming environment. We are able to safely swab adults and children. Following your test, we arrange a private courier to take your sample to the laboratory the same day.

All swab samples are analysed by a government-approved private UKAS registered laboratory, their current turn around time is 24-48 hours from the time they receive your sample. When your result is available we will send you confirmation by email and text message. We can arrange a same-day results for tests taken at our clinics before 11am for travel purposes only. An additional £90 fee for this will apply to our standard charges.

In the event of a positive result for the virus which causes Covid-19 our doctors will be available for advice and to ensure you receive the best care.

Fees

• At home testing
  • £200 including delivery fees, swab test kit, laboratory fees, and certificate.
  • Additional charges will apply if a courier service is required outside of SW6, SW10 and Central London addresses.
• In-clinic testing
  • £250 including swab sample taking by GP, swab test kit, laboratory fees, and certificate.
• Same-day results available for additional £90 charge for travel purposes only. Samples must be received in the clinic before 11:00; please contact us to confirm availability after booking.

If you have any further questions, your situation changes, or difficulty booking online please book get in touch with our reception team at testtorelease@coynemedical.com

Whilst Coyne Medical Ltd will do everything it can to ensure prompt service, Covid-19 PCR tests are highly scientific tests, they must be processed by an external government accredited laboratory who may from time to time experience delays during the ongoing pandemic. We can accept no responsibility for financial losses, travel cancellations, disruption, or refusal to travel due to failed or later delivery of test kit and/or reported test results. All Covid-19 test results will be reported to Public Health England, this is a legal requirement, in the event of a positive test your contact details may be passed to authorities including the NHS Test and Trace service.

 

Need a Covid-19 antibody test or to see a doctor?

Check out the rest of our website to find out more about how we can look after your family.