sounds like they are working out what to do with the stocks of lateral flow tests they won't be using in schools

Very likely - and thereby avoid questions being asked about purchase of a mountain of unused test kits.

I went to the 'portal' that supposedly has more details.  It asks for company name and number and an email address, so I told it that, and it thanked me for my application to join the scheme! I was only wanting to know what the scheme was. Anyway, I guess I'll find out in due course, even if no-one here knows.

Following with interest - Cpt Beaky mentions "feeling safer" ... actually, this is my concern - the test must surely only be valid for the day it is taken? (Please do educate me if not). Are we in danger of instilling a false sense of security by suggesting people are "safe"? Field based evidence (shopping in my local supermarket) suggests people wearing face coverings, or having received a vaccine, do not comply so readily with social distancing requirements. I worry this testing will add another barrier to compliance with the rules.

I'd also be interested to know if being in possession of a negative test enables an employee to work in close proximity, whilst the employer continues to make claims of a "Covid safe" workplace?

Double edged sword this for a business, after working at a work place where we mass tested and over 100 people come back positive all bar a couple where asymptomatic. Leaving the business closed for two weeks as at the time the two week isolation period was in force. Luckily the business could absorb the lost of business (around 2 million pound lost at the time) but there are many who could not afford a fraction of this especially in the current climate. 

I think of it more of a service to the community than the workplace. Where I work is a manufacturing/distribution hub of the UK. I would estimate that well above 60% of the workforce in the local area are still at work in the workplace (and many places are still hiring). Even if these tests only capture half of the asymptomatic people, the ongoing impact of these people being taken out of the transmission line could be huge in an area that is one of the worst in the country for infections.

As long as we are supplied with enough tests to cover our workforce twice a week it could also allow businesses to avoid unnecessary disruptions when someone has no recognised symptoms, but still feels a little rough. Currently we have to isolate these people for 10 days, rather than until they feel better. For example if someone has a sore throat, or a headache. This leads to people keeping quiet about these symptoms (remember sick pay is not a thing in manufacturing roles), rather than taking a test. If the tests are frequent enough the inefficacy of the tests will be reduced, so we need enough supplies to test heavily.

Finally, as I stated before, this is about mental health of our employees. Whilst we all recognise the limitations of these tests, it is still a relief to find out that you are less likely to be taking the disease home with you and infecting the loved ones in your household. As long as we don't allow our standards to slip, this can only be a good thing.

This isn't, or shouldn't be, about workplace transmission. It is about stopping the spread in the wider community. Workplace controls should be mitagating workplace spread, whether people are positive or not. Therefore, I reiterate, this is not a replacement for "hands-face-space", in the same way that manual handling training is not a substitute for MHE.

Can I also stress that LFDs are not testing for COVID, it says this in their instruction manuals it is checking to see whether there is a virus in your system at the time of test.

My workplace has just started LFD testing and if you produce a positive test this is when you leave work and have an NHS COVID test.

We have signed up for the government lead LFD testing application, also if you work in the Warehouse/Transport environment the DFT are asking people to sign up for test kits from them too.

We have so far tested 157 people- 1 of those have been asymptomatic, I'd rather carry on doing those tests and find asymptomatic people rather than having another huge outbreak in the workplace.

I got my email at 9:30pm last night. I registered around the same time as you.

The documentation is "large" to say the least, and some of it seems cobbled together from earlier tries, as the dates are not quite right (references to distribution starting in January)

I've got my response from government now - sent 20:34 last night, so that's only ten days to respond (when they promised within two working days). 

I haven't been through the bumf yet - it seems I have to sign up to a secure platform (specifically a "Human Layer Security platform that empowers your people to remain secure while being highly productive.  Using patented contextual machine learning ... to prevent human error and protect against malicious or reckless behaviour on email") with its own raft of legalese before getting to any actual information about the testing scheme.

Did see that a large quantity of UK Gov test kits have appeared on a certain internet auction site - coincidence?

Mine are finally turning up today. It seems that the testing has now been extended from ending on March 31st to June 30th