A Nottingham dad has described how he was forced to book a coronavirus test in Edinburgh so his daughter could return to school.
After spending hours on hold to 119 and trying “50 times” to book a test, social worker Mahmoon Rasheed, 34, managed to secure a slot 200 miles away in Edinburgh.
Meanwhile Edinburgh Live reported yesterday that Scots trying to book a test were told none were available.
A message on the Government’s website yesterday morning simply said the service was "very busy" and to try later.
The news comes as an increasing number of people are left frustrated by the UK government’s chaotic testing system.
Matt Hancock today warned the public not to “game the system” after an English MP revealed some of her constituents only got a local test by claiming they lived 500 miles away in Aberdeen.
Back in Nottingham, Mahmoon said his daughter Husnah, eight, had developed mild coronavirus symptoms on Wednesday, September 9 and her school had advised her and her siblings to isolate as a result, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
Dad-of-three Mahmoon, said: “I rang 119 and I was offered a test in Leicester where I refused to go.
“I was getting appointments for Oldham, Sheffield and Huddersfield. I just couldn’t get a test nearby and my child only had a sore throat with a mild fever.
“On Friday morning I decided if I got an appointment I would just accept it as it had been far too long and her school did not want to take children back without a test.”
Mahmoon said he spent an hour and a half on hold to 119 before they booked him in for a test at Edinburgh airport on Saturday, September 12.
He said: “I went to Nottingham Motorpoint test centre and showed them the Scotland appointment and they allowed me and my daughter in.
“On late Sunday night my daughter got a negative result.”
He added: “There were no more than a few cars at the test centre and there were more staff there than people being tested.
“How can they say there are no tests when they have so much space at centres?
“I took a slot in Edinburgh, hundreds of miles away, just to get a test. It is important I send my kids to school after six months off."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "NHS Test and Trace is working, our capacity is the highest it has ever been and but we are seeing a significant demand for tests. New booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for people with symptoms and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.
"Our laboratories are processing more than a million tests a week and we recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster. If you do not have symptoms and are not eligible to get a test you can continue to protect yourself if you wash your hands, wear a face covering and follow social distancing rules."
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