Royal Mail Delivering coronavirus tests to NHS staff : Including LTB

Post by **POSTMAN** » 27 Mar 2020, 19:52

https://www.royalmail.com/priority-post ... 4eO8itEEjk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Delivering coronavirus tests to NHS staff
Royal Mail is playing a key role in the fight against coronavirus by being a key partner in the delivery and return of coronavirus tests to NHS and social care frontline staff. This new initiative will enable NHS staff to do a coronavirus test at home, and then return their sample for testing.

Royal Mail and Amazon Logistics will deliver coronavirus testing kits to the homes of NHS workers, who will post back their sample into one of 13,000 priority postboxes. Royal Mail will deliver all return samples to the testing lab using Tracked 24 Returns.

Full details on the Government announcement can be viewed...
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gove ... -nhs-staff" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Full Q&A's at the link...
https://www.royalmail.com/priority-post ... 4eO8itEEjk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How does the process work?

The kits will be stored by Amazon Logistics.
They will be delivered to homes by Royal Mail (using Tracked 24) and Amazon Logistics.
The kit will return to a central laboratory via Royal Mail Tracked 24 Returns.

ssdd · Post by **ssdd** » 27 Mar 2020, 19:56

Post by **POSTMAN** » 27 Mar 2020, 19:59

LTB 161/20 – Distribution of Coronavirus Testing Kits
No: 161/20

27th March 2020

TO: ALL BRANCHES

Dear Colleague

Distribution of Coronavirus Testing Kits

The government has announced that Royal Mail will have a role in the distribution of Coronavirus testing kits to NHS and Social Care frontline staff currently in isolation and will be exclusively responsible for the collection of these kits.

A statement from Royal Mail is attached. Royal Mail says “conveying medical supplies through our network is something we do daily….. what is important is that we treat these items as the priority and take care when handling them not to damage the kit and protect our people”.

NHS workers will post their samples into one of 13,000 priority post boxes. The sample will be placed into a corrugated cardboard box and then into a plastic envelope. This packaging complies with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and will be specifically labelled and packaged for easy identification. The intention is to issue plastic bags to collection drivers so that the items do not need to be touched when identified and removed from post boxes.

In line with our support for Royal Mail‘s key role at this time of national crisis, CWU welcomes the government’s decision to entrust this crucial task, which will enable as many NHS and care workers to return to work as soon as possible, to the Royal Mail network.

The union will of course expect to be fully consulted on the safety and operational measures to be adopted and discussions with the business are in progress.

Any enquiries on the above should be addressed to the General Secretary’s office at

gsoffice@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Ray Ellis

Acting National Health & Safety Officer
RM Statement – Test Kits

Post by **Munchboii** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:00

This makes me smile. I have big hopes that this will push us as posties from being seen as another delivery company, to being a Public Service once again. Like the good olde days!

dennym90 · Post by **dennym90** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:08

Munchboii wrote:This makes me smile. I have big hopes that this will push us as posties from being seen as another delivery company, to being a Public Service once again. Like the good olde days!

It definitely won't. And I'm sure a lot of posties will refuse to collect them. And I wouldn't be surprised. Collecting kits that could potentially infect you. No thanks. I reckon they will get another department or contractors to handle this.

5plusbonusball · Post by **5plusbonusball** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:15

surely the weather and throwing them about and squashing them would affect the results, use local pharmacy ffs

Post by **cobrakai** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:15

Surely this can’t be safe?? We are literally putting lives on the line with this. Trusting NHS people to wipe the packaging etc. I notice that the tax dodgers don’t want to touch the possibly dangerous returns either. Not impressed at all with this announcement. If it does live 72 hours on hard surfaces,48 hours on card and 24 on paper how many colleagues hands will it have touched before it reaches the destination. Minimising risk is what we should be doing not running towards it.

I noticed that the Army and Fire Service have been enlisted to deliver supplies now too. So the unions dream of us becoming the 4th emergency service look to have gone up in smoke.

What’s the betting too that amazon won’t deliver to the middle of nowhere with their share either.

gb93 · Post by **gb93** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:28

Let Terry,Dave & this joker Ray empty the boxes & be heroes. Go knock yourselves out

scoobydo79 · Post by **scoobydo79** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:31

I wouldn’t sweat over it guys.Youve most likely handled these kits in the past and never even known it.I think they can do hepatitis type tests and so on in this way.

gb93 · Post by **gb93** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:39

Tell me when we have handled anything this before.A pandemic that has killed tens of thousands up to now & best case scenario is going to kill tens of thousands more worldwide

dennym90 · Post by **dennym90** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:45

scoobydo79 wrote:I wouldn’t sweat over it guys.Youve most likely handled these kits in the past and never even known it.I think they can do hepatitis type tests and so on in this way.

Dear oh dear

Roccat4 · Post by **Roccat4** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:45

cobrakai wrote:Surely this can’t be safe?? We are literally putting lives on the line with this. Trusting NHS people to wipe the packaging etc. I notice that the tax dodgers don’t want to touch the possibly dangerous returns either. Not impressed at all with this announcement. If it does live 72 hours on hard surfaces,48 hours on card and 24 on paper how many colleagues hands will it have touched before it reaches the destination. Minimising risk is what we should be doing not running towards it.

I noticed that the Army and Fire Service have been enlisted to deliver supplies now too. So the unions dream of us becoming the 4th emergency service look to have gone up in smoke.

What’s the betting too that amazon won’t deliver to the middle of nowhere with their share either.

Sure can be ,unless you are planing on opening them and inserting them in any of your cavities.

Not particularly bothered about them as chances are I will be delivering one to my own address and then taking it back to the DO

.

I get it there is pandemic, but don't get paranoid. If I was thinking that way i would have to set the tent in the garden for the missus as she is a nurse ffs , and even worse on the ward in the hospital that currently appears to be being prepared for the "apocalypse scenario" .

Keep it together guys/gals, as previously mentioned by scoobydo we collect stool, urine and tissue samples from letterboxes on regular basis.

Acca Dacca · Post by **Acca Dacca** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:47

So if I’m reading this correctly, Amazon have been given the less dangerous and more profitable task of distributing the unused kits and Royal Mail and therefore us posties have the more dangerous task of collecting the used samples and delivering them to wherever they have to be tested?

scoobydo79 · Post by **scoobydo79** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:50

Thank You Roccatt.The voice of reason.
I’d also add that these will be NHS staff in these tests.Theyd help Me I’m cool with helping them.

ssdd · Post by **ssdd** » 27 Mar 2020, 20:51

gb93 wrote:Tell me when we have handled anything this before.A pandemic that has killed tens of thousands up to now & best case scenario is going to kill tens of thousands more worldwide

gb93 I think you could take some advice from your own signature...