Mum hits out over delays in obtaining a Covid-19 test for her Leeds student daughter

A mum has hit out at the length of time it took her to book a Covid-19 test for her daughter - a student at the Unviersity of Leeds - after a string of issues including the system failing to recognise her daughter’s identity.
Sharon Kinlin-Martin and daughter Amelia, 19, a student at the University of Leeds, who caught Covid-19. Pictured on holiday.Sharon Kinlin-Martin and daughter Amelia, 19, a student at the University of Leeds, who caught Covid-19. Pictured on holiday.
Sharon Kinlin-Martin and daughter Amelia, 19, a student at the University of Leeds, who caught Covid-19. Pictured on holiday.

Sharon Kinlin-Martin leapt into action on behalf of her daughter Amelia, 19, who was struck down with symptoms just three days after arriving in Leeds from their home in Dorset, to study biological sciences at the university.

As soon as she fell ill, on September 29, Amelia and her seven new flatmates at Devonshire Hall in Headingley went into isolation while mum Sharon began what she said became a “ridiculous” process to book the all-important test.

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Over the next six days - which it has since emerged was a peak time for positive cases at the university - Sharon said all attempts online and via 119 helpline advisors failed to bring up the nearby Gryphon Sports Centre, leaving the only options as Dewsbury or Bradford - despite Amelia being bedridden, with no transport and new to the area.

However, Sharon said even those sites could not be booked because the system repeatedly stated it could not verify Amelia’s identity.

She was eventually told by an advisor that she would have to use her own identity to book a home test for Amelia.

The test arrived at the halls of residence on day 10 of Amelia’s symptoms, around the time the guidelines state isolation can end.

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After carrying out the test, Amelia found out on day 15, October 13, that her result was positive.

Sharon said: "It literally took me hours. I was so angry. I’d assumed it would be a simple thing to do. I can’t see how anyone who is sick and ill can go through that ridiculous process of being told to go to a test centre eight miles away when you’ve just arrived in Leeds.

“And if they couldn’t verify Amelia’s ID, how many others were not being verified? She’s not different to any other student in the UK. She has an ID. I put in her national insurance number because she had been working all summer.

“But they couldn’t verify her on 119 either and what they decided to do in the end was to use my ID to clear it.”

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Amelia told the Yorkshire Evening Post several of her flatmates had fallen ill with cold-like symptoms but none were as poorly as she was.

“It came on really quickly. I had been in Leeds three days when I began to get symptoms. It started off with just a headache then was really tired. I ended up being in bed for a week. I didn’t have a cough. Just fatigue and generally feeling unwell and I had a fever.

“I’m in a flat of eight and I was the only person to get a test, because my mum sorted it out for me. She went through a lot of stress to sort it out.”

She added: “I know a lot of people were struggling to get tests [at the time]."

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Despite the guidelines stating isolation can end ten days after symptoms first appear, if feeling well, Amelia chose to isolate longer while she awaited her results.

She said: “I could have finished isolating and been going around positive.”

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said they do not comment on individual cases but the booking system directs people to the nearest site with availability at that time.

Official figures, released weekly by the University of Leeds, show the time period of September 30 to October 5 - when Sharon was looking for tests - was peak for the number of positive cases among students, with between 76 and 144 a day.

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Attempts by the Yorkshire Evening Post to book a slot at the Gryphon Sports Centre yesterday proved successful, with hundreds of possible appointments listed as available.

The DHSC spokesperson said: “NHS Test and Trace is processing tests at an unprecedented scale – the daily testing capacity has now passed the 500,000 mark – and the vast majority of people going through the system do not experience any problems.

“There are now more than 600 testing sites available and we are opening up to 40 new test sites a week, particularly in and around university settings so that almost all universities are within 1.5 miles of a test site. When booking a test, people are directed to the nearest testing site with on-the-day availability.”

A spokesman for the University of Leeds said: “We appreciate this is a difficult and frustrating time for many of our students and thank them for keeping themselves – and those they come into contact with – safe.

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“They are following NHS, government and university advice, self-isolating and getting tested when they experience symptoms, and have helped drive a decline in Leeds’ infection rates.

“We cannot stress enough the importance of sticking to the rules – prompt testing is available at the NHS centre on campus and for those who are isolating we provide a wide range of advice and support on our coronavirus website.”

For information or to book a coronavirus test, visit: https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-testSupport the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.

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