Sheffield NHS worker still waiting for coronavirus test result five days after visiting Doncaster drive-through centre

Sarah Hancock says she visited the drive-through COVID-19 testing centre in the car park of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, where she completed her test after queuing for three-and-a-half hours, on Saturday, April 25.

But despite the Government saying it aims to get results to people within 48 hours, the 33-year-old mum-of-four was still waiting to receive the outcome by text on Thursday afternoon.

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When she phoned to ask about the delay she was told there was no way of tracing her test and she would just have to wait, even though she knows of people who were tested at the same site that day and got their result back within 48 hours.

Ms Hancock is a clinical support worker and phlebotomist based at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital, though she is currently off sick due to a suspected heart condition so a negative result for COVID-19 would not enable her to return to duty.

However, she is desperate to get the results because she has been self-isolating within her bedroom at her Chapeltown home since developing symptoms including a high temperature and a cough more than 14 days ago and has had no physical contact with her children or partner in that time.

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She is usually the main carer for her 11-year-old twins who have autism and other health conditions including asthma, and although her temperature has gone down she still does not feel 100 per cent and is terrified of putting them at risk.

“My children are desperately wanting to know when Mummy can come and give them a cuddle, and I wanted to be tested so I know it’s safe to come out of self-isolation,” she said.

“I was grateful to get a test and I didn’t mind waiting so long on the day but five days later I don’t know if I’ll ever get my result back or if my test has gone missing.

“The Government keeps saying it’s ramping up testing but if my result has been delayed like this how long are other people waiting?”

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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Our aim as we tackle this virus is to make it easy, fast and simple for all eligible people who need a test to get a test.

“In addition to setting up a nationwide network of drive-in testing sites, we have introduced home testing kit delivery, deployed mobile testing units operated by the Armed Forces, and built three new ‘mega labs’ to analyse test samples.

“This is in addition to more than doubling the capacity of the NHS and Public Health England laboratories, all in a matter of weeks. 632,794 people have now been tested in the UK, and the vast majority report no issues with the process. We are determined to ensure that everyone who needs a test can get one.”