[Fraud Warning - TakeATestUK and Saving Lives UK in Birmingham, UK]

 When your own NHS GP Practice sends you a text like this, most people would tend to reply to it and not actually look at it's contents. But I did, and here's what I found.

First of all, this isn't a NHS England commissioned service, that "helps the NHS to track Flu, Covid and RSV". How do I know this ? well I looked and checked the url > www.takeatestuk.com

There's no mention on the website that states how the NHS / NHS England are involved in this "testing". This website is also badly designed and written and is a very basic blog site, and there's no contact information, just a contact page thats also very basic.

So who is running this - health scam ? and why hasn't the NHS or any GP staff picked up on this ?

Website : https://takeatestuk.com/

Contact page with a mobile number on it (no office number etc) : https://takeatestuk.com/contact-us/

-

What happens when you enter the "voucher code" ?

Interesting how it says the following. - "this voucher enables you to order a FREE flu and Covid-19 virus testing kit, courtesy of UK Health Security Agency " . since when does the Department of Social Care offer voucher codes ? And.. is this supported by the Government ? want to check yourself ? heres the numbers to call them on via this link

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency/about/media-enquiries

Next, watch the how do I take the test videos, here : https://takeatestuk.com/phe-home/ . 

You will see how much personal data they want from you, and that it's not connected to your own medical records or nhs medical records. 

Also of note: their own video is outdated and was created in 2020 during the pandemic, and has the governmental Public Health department logo on it. This department ceased to be during the pandemic in April 2020, so how was it involved in this (truth is: it wasn't, but made out to be, so that patients would fall for it and not question any of it).

--

FAQ's about this test : https://takeatestuk.com/faqs/

Yet your own doctor isn't involved and won't know about the test results or anything.

Privacy issues. This is what it says in the FAQ part of the website - making it feel like it's protected by the NHS by saying that it uses the same NHS servers ! (it doesn't because the NHS protects our medical data).

This is what the site says on the FAQ page:

Is the service confidential?

Yes! Every step of the process is entirely confidential: from the moment you order a kit online, your information is stored in our system against a unique identifier – this, not your name, will be used to track your test from your order to the final result. Our system is housed on servers of exactly the same quality and security used by the NHS itself – that means your data is the safest it can possibly be, and held to the same standards as your patient records.

The envelope you receive the test in will be plain, as will the return envelope you’ll be provided to post your sample back to the lab. That means your data is secure – and no one will be able to tell what you’re getting in the post.

How secure is the data I submit to TakeATestUK.com ?

Extremely. Our website runs over highly secure a ‘SSL’ connection, ensuring high-level data encryption. To store and monitor your data during the testing process, we use ‘HSCN’ servers – the security standard mandated by the NHS for the storage of patient information and records. That means your data is the safest it possibly can be, at every stage. We apply the information governance regulations of the NHS to TakeATestUK.com – there’s no greater protection of your personal medical data.

--

It's run by a "charity" which is also the same company and same people "running it" as a business. hmm.

Saving Lives is a UK-based charity dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of testing. Its health promotion work has enabled clinics across the country to run high-impact awareness-raising campaigns, and gained national media attention for testing and associated issues. It provides professional-level health promotion and marketing services to its partners.

TakeATestUK is a project devised and managed by the Saving Lives charity. It also involves other expert partners which deliver specific aspects of the service. Saving Lives is responsible for day-to-day operations and customer service.

Take a look at the GOV charities commission website listing here:

https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5023667/charity-overview?_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_organisationNumber=5023667

--

They are also this organisation in Birmingham > https://www.positivepeers.co.uk/contact-us

a peer mentoring company run by one person called Rachel. Look at the email address and it points to the Saving Lives / TakeATest website company. She works for them.

--

The University of Oxford are part of this "scheme" > https://orchid.phc.ox.ac.uk/surveillance/information_for_patients , but it's not supported by NHS England or the UK government. 

Important to know that - It's research only ! (and voluntary) 

No mention if you can opt-out of this research "that's on behalf of the gov". 

Why are there no protections in place?

Their DPO can be contacted here : https://orchid.phc.ox.ac.uk/privacy-policy/contact-us

The https://takeatestuk.com/phe-home/ website states that the UK Health Security Agency is part of this testing, on the promo videos. 

But there's no confirmation from them about this.

--

DO NOT ENGAGE WITH THIS COMPANY AND REPORT THEM FOR MEDICAL FRAUD !

--------------------------------------

Here's how YOU CAN opt-out of healthcare research when it comes to your own personal health information in the NHS, just visit :

https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/opt-out-of-sharing-your-health-records/

And for more information on how it runs in the NHS, here's the guidelines that all NHS staff have to follow:

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/national-data-opt-out

---------------------------------------

questions and links to add:

question - is this how it works ? > https://pathfields.nhs.uk/surgery-information/giving-swab-samples-virology

question - why isn't there any mention of this population screening for flu etc on the government website here > https://www.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/population-screening-programmes

question - why hasn't this NHS advisory group announced this screening on their NHS website ? https://www.hra.nhs.uk/about-us/committees-and-services/confidentiality-advisory-group/

Question - why isn't this "company" using any NHS England data protection for screening, as stated in this nhs document from 2024 > https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/patient-confidentiality-in-nhs-population-screening-programmes/nhs-population-screening-confidential-patient-data

question - how wide spread is this company? well here's another gp surgery using and promoting it > https://www.chillingtonhealthcentre.nhs.uk/take-a-test-uk-self-swabbing-virology-scheme/

question - has the NHS UK website been hacked or is it easy to make edit's to by bad actors like these ?

https://www.nhs.uk/services/service-directory/takeatestuk/N10972318

https://www.nhs.uk/services/service-directory/saving-lives/N10972057

If you think that this company is a scam, it is. Please report it to Action Fraud, and UK Health Security Agency and Police.

--