BIVDA held a meeting with Ofcom to address concerns regarding changes to postal services and how that would affect samples sent in the post.
This has been prompted by an ongoing Ofcom review of the postal service’s proposed changes to Second Class letter delivery, while maintaining a next-day First Class service six days a week.
We clarified that samples taken at home preserve biological material that is unlikely to deteriorate quickly, therefore this should not pose a significant issue. However, we stressed that as the testing market evolves and different test samples are utilised, the postal service must review its policies regularly to ensure sample safety.
We also emphasised the need for the postal service to be able to scale-up sufficiently when faced with a future pandemic. During COVID, it was evident that posting lateral flow tests to the population was vital and therefore postal capacity must be built into any pandemic response plans.
If members have any concerns they wish for us to raise with Ofcom, please email ben.kemp@bivda.org.uk.
