Lateral flow tests that can detect Strep A in just five minutes are available on the NHS in Wales but not England due to a lack of funding, it is reported.
The £7.50 tests can help to fight the infection that has now seen 15 children die in the UK by tackling cases quickly while ensuring that antibiotics go to only those who need them.
And they could also help to reduce the demand on GPs with patients unsure of whether they have Strep A or not.
New data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows 13 children under 15 have died in England since September.
Two other deaths of children have been recorded in Belfast and Wales, taking the UK total to 15.
The condition can normally be treated with antibiotics but symptoms, such as a fever and sore throat, can be mistaken for other viruses.
But NHS England does not offer the Strep A tests because it opted against spending funding on them, it is reported.
A study was carried out by high street retailer Boots using 35 of its pharmacists in 2016 where people with a sore throat were offered a swab kit that is 98% accurate, reported the Daily Telegraph.
Of 2,000 people, 36 were Strep A positive and were given antibiotics.
Marc Donovan, director of healthcare development and public affairs at Boots and chief pharmacist when the trial was run, said 48% “said if this service didn’t exist they would have gone to the GP”.
After the trial was presented to the NHS, it was adopted by Wales but not England or Scotland, said Mr Donovan.
Meanwhile, Dr Nicole Robb, an infectious disease expert at Oxford University, said tests should be given out to bring about earlier detection, reduce the risk of severe illness and ease NHS pressures.
"If your child has sore throat it's likely to just be a mild infection — but in a very small number of cases it might be more serious," she told the Daily Mail. "It would also mean that less antibiotics are handed out 'just in case', and we keep them for illnesses that really require them, cutting antibiotic resistance."
It comes as pharmacists continue to use Twitter to complain of shortages in access to antibiotics, including the liquid version of penicillin, which is often given to children.
The National Pharmacy Association has pointed to "blips" in the supply chain of liquid penicillin, while the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said pharmacists across the country were struggling to source all they need.
