Well announced last week (December 2) that it was introducing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in-pharmacy test priced at £120 – also the price of the Boots in-branch COVID-19 swab test that launched in October.

The Well service will initially be available in 30 branches across England, Scotland and Wales. For in-store tests, a pharmacist will take the swab in a private consultation room, package it and send it to a laboratory to be tested. Results will “usually [be] available within two working days” of the swab arriving at the lab, Well said.

Before their appointment, patients will be asked to fill in an online form to ensure they are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19 when having the test in-pharmacy. The results will tell them whether they have the virus at the time of testing.

The test is also priced at £120, including postage, with results similarly expected 48 hours after the tests reaches the lab. Online orders of the at-home test made before 5pm Monday to Friday will arrive the next day, according to the multiple.

The at home-test can be bought via the Well online shop and from around 100 of its branches across the UK. 

Both tests are available to adults and children overt the age of 12 without COVID-19 symptoms.

A Well spokesperson told C+D last week (December 4) that the in-pharmacy service is not currently available in Northern Ireland, but that one pharmacy in the country will be selling the at-home kit.  

Well Pharmacy operations director Nigel Swift said: “As the free NHS COVID-19 test can only be used for people who have symptoms, we’re offering a convenient way of accessing reassurance and peace of mind to customers who have no symptoms of the virus.

“By launching this service in our local pharmacies, we hope to give confidence to more people in our communities to be safe and healthy, while enabling them to go about their lives and work where possible."

“Depending on demand”, Well might roll out the service more widely, the spokesperson told C+D.

Lloyds: In-store swab tests from “mid-December”

Lloydspharmacy also offers an at-home COVID-19 PCR swab test kit. Offered via its Online Doctor service, the test is priced at £119, including delivery.  A Lloydspharmacy spokesperson told C+D last week (December 4) that customers receive results “within an estimated three working days of the lab receiving their sample”.

The multiple will also be “offering in-store tests conducted by a healthcare professional from mid-December across selected stores”, the spokesperson added.

Boots announced at the end of October (October 26) that it was launching in-store COVID-19 swab tests in “selected stores”.

A Boots spokesperson told C+D last week (December 4) that the service is now “available in 45 stores nationwide, with new stores being added every week”.