Ministers have launched a review of the misleading costs of Covid travel tests from “cowboy” providers, as the government announced that the price of the NHS official test would fall by a fifth.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said UK holidaymakers would benefit from cheaper tests, as the NHS test and trace package for international arrivals will be reduced from £88 to £68 for green or fully vaccinated amber arrivals, and from £170 to £136 for two tests for amber arrivals who are not fully vaccinated.
There are more than 400 private providers of tests for people to use on day two and day eight after coming back from many foreign countries. One of those test providers, CTM, is the official provider sanctioned by the NHS, although it is not widely advertised as such. It is not the cheapest provider, with some advertising two tests for as little as £20, but the prices sometimes then appear to go up after the applicant fills in more details on the website.
Javid has made the move to review pricing and service standards of all providers of the tests after many complaints from users about the expense, and pressure to act from MPs. The Department of Health and Social Care said any misleading pricing would be clamped down on swiftly.
The review will start this weekend and last 10 days, and providers failing to meet necessary standards will be removed.
The announcement follows a request on 6 August from the health secretary for an urgent high-level review from the Competition and Markets Authority to address exploitative behaviour in the private testing market and crack down on excessive pricing or misleading claims.
Javid said:“I know how much people have looked forward to their summer holidays and that the cost of PCR testing can be a barrier to that. That is why I am determined to protect consumers and hard-working families from exploitative practices and ensure high-quality tests are available at a reasonable price.
“I am pleased to announce that with immediate effect we’re slashing the price of day two and eight tests from NHS test and trace by a fifth – this will benefit people right across the UK. And I look forward to reviewing initial advice from the Competition and Markets Authority over the coming days. I’ve also ordered my department to urgently review the list of private providers on to ensure pricing is clearer and transparent. Any provider found to be misleading the public will be kicked off.
“Too many providers are acting like cowboys and that needs to stop. The public should be allowed to enjoy their summer holidays without having to face excessive costs or anxiety.”
