Quote Originally Posted by jon1959 View Post
They still haven't got enough LFTs.

Boris Johnson announced his Plan B for England on 8 December. We tried to get hold of LFTs from pharmacies in Sheffield from the following day. Tried over 20 pharmacies in a 10 mile radius regularly. No chance. None in stock and they have never been in stock for more than a few hours a few times a week - and never at a time when we try to get them. Plan B relied on self testing with LFTs - and it has been a shambles from day one.

Welsh LFT Aid never made it as far as us, but it is one small indication of where the planning and competence was - not in England!
This whole issue of LFTs is a farce. At short notice the politicians in the home nations decide the need for more flow tests. As with any supply surge it needs managing. The way we in Wales ( and probably England) was to get a well known UK wide pharmaceutical wholesaler to distribute these to pharmacies. Health authorities oversaw the issue and for expedience most pharmacies got a large box full of tests per day, whether a busy high street chemist or a quiet village pharmacy. Then the wholesaler stopped distribution from Christmas Eve until 29th December as they closed for Christmas!

As for Wales kind gesture to England in supplying 1 million tests, very short sighted as many of the local pharmacies in my area of Cardiff have not been able to get supplies and from news bulletins this seems to be a problem throughout Wales.