Find out who can get treatment for Covid-19 and how to get free tests.

Updated 16th June 2025

Please note recent changes to list of conditions eligible for testing and treatment assessment:

You may be at higher risk of serious illness if you get Covid-19 if you:

  • have Down’s syndrome, or another chromosomal condition that affects your immune system
  • have certain types of cancer, or had treatment for certain types of cancer
  • have sickle cell disease
  • have certain conditions affecting your blood, including some types of blood cancer
  • have chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4 or 5, including people on dialysis
  • have severe liver disease
  • have had an organ transplant
  • have certain autoimmune or inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease
  • have HIV or AIDS and have a weakened immune system
  • have a condition affecting your immune system
  • have a condition affecting the brain or nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, motor neurone disease, myasthenia gravis, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or certain types of dementia
  • have certain lung conditions or treatments for lung conditions

 

Who can get NHS COVID-19 treatment

The NHS provides treatment such as antivirals for people are at high risk of serious illness if they contract Covid-19. If you are eligible for NHS treatment, you should keep rapid lateral flow tests at home.

Read more about treatment for Covid-19 on the NHS website.

COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests are no longer free for most people.

You may still be able to get FREE NHS COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests from AR Pharmacy from 6th November 2023 if you:

If you want to get tested but are not eligible for free rapid lateral flow tests, you need to pay for the test yourself, but you may not be eligible for treatment.

You can buy rapid lateral flow tests from the pharmacy.

Both NHS and paid-for test kits are available at all branches of AR Pharmacy.

Who can get a free COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test

If you are eligible for COVID-19 treatments, you can now pick up FREE COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests from all branches of AR Pharmacy.

Someone else can collect free tests on your behalf, for example, a friend, relative or carer.

Anyone collecting free tests on your behalf needs to give the pharmacy your details, including your:

  • full name
  • address
  • date of birth
  • NHS number
  • medical condition(s) to confirm your eligibility

If you’ve been sent a letter or email from the NHS about COVID-19 treatments, this should be shown to the pharmacy to help confirm your eligibility more easily.

Test Results

For information on the results of a lateral flow test and what they mean, visit the NHS website