Patients still travelling 50 miles for a swab (as bill for testing system soars past £12bn)

THOUSANDS of patients are travelling nearly 50 miles for a virus test as the Government’s £12billion system struggles to cope with demand.

More than 3,700 people were forced to drive an average of 48.2 miles last week, making a round trip of almost 100 miles.

the distances travelled by patients to testing centres have soared as the Government has had to ration slots to areas most in need.

And yesterday the Chancellor Rishi Sunak told MPs that the testing system had so far cost £12billion – equivalent to £432 for every household in the country. Figures show that people drove an average of nine miles to a regional testing site in the week to September 16, up from six miles the previous week.

this was the longest overall average distance since the system was launched in May.

And 5 per cent of those who travelled the furthest – approximately 3,770 people – were forced to drive an average of 48.2 miles. this was the furthest distance recorded so far.

Just 28.8 per cent of patients were notified of their results in 24 hours compared to 33.3 per cent the previous week.

dr Layla McCay, director of the nHS Confederation, which represents health organisations, said: ‘these are all figures that should be improving to curb the spread of the virus.’

It comes after the long-awaited nHS contacttracing app was launched yesterday, which will encourage people to book even more tests.

the device – which uses Apple and Google software – was made available for download on smartphones across england and Wales, four months later than its scheduled start date.

Yesterday Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted the app would not work on smartphones which were more than five years old.

He told BBC Breakfast that some people may have to upgrade their software to use the app.