OFFICIALS are investigating after it emerged that coronavirus self-test kits sent to key workers did not have return slips.
Around 40,000 were delivered as part of Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s pledge to hit 100,000 tests a day by the end of April.
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An unknown number of the Randox kits had swab sticks and a test tube but no details of where to send them.
One recipient said a government helpline told her that delivery firm Amazon had “been messing up”, with the blunder on “quite a lot” of kits.
The teacher, who came down with symptoms in Harrow, North West London, said: “It’s disgraceful.”
She said: “Everything seemed okay, then I looked at the instructions and there was no way to send it back.
“I called the service desk and they said ‘Oh sorry, you’re going to have to get rid of the test because Amazon has been messing up and not putting the return slip in orders’.”
She added: “This will affect a lot of tests, I didn’t say how many but they did admit it was a lot.
“The government says it has reached 100,000 test targets by sending them out, but many people can’t even send them back.
“I’m a Tory voter, but this is disgraceful. It’s just a vanity project for Mr Hancock to say he completed a goal.”
The Health Service Journal, said Amazon and the Royal Mail delivered 27,497 home kits, while a further 12,872 were sent to “satellite centres”.
It was not clear on Sunday night how many were used successfully.
Amazon referred The Sun to the Department of Health and Social Care. It said a “small number” of kits were sent out with no return label.
It said anyone affected could either be sent a new label or order a replacement kit online which would not be counted in the daily figures.
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