Test and trace: how the system is changing
Government replacing thousands of call-centre workers with ‘boots on the ground’ following flawed roll-out
Thousands of staff at “test-and-trace” call centres are to be axed and replaced with local tracking teams, the government has announced.
The “major overhaul” of the “failing” system will see “council staff knocking on doors” in a bid to reach more contacts of people who have tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus, The Telegraph reports.
Health minister Edward Argar told the BBC that the new approach would combine the “scalability” of a national scheme with the expertise and local knowledge of local public health officials.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“We’ve always said that this system would evolve, and what it’s doing here is exactly that: evolving and flexing,” he said.
What are the current issues with the test and trace system?
The NHS test-and-trace system relies on call centre-based contact tracers who attempt to reach people who have been in close contact with confirmed coronavirus carriers, usually by text, email or up to ten times by phone call.
However, reports surfaced in July that the £10bn scheme was failing to reach thousands of people, including many in areas with the highest infection rates in England. The Telegraph reports that on average, tracers in call centres are reaching just one case a month.
A number of issues have been blamed for these low success rates. Councils have warned that many so-called contacts are rejecting attempts to contact them because they assume the unfamiliar “0300” number is a cold caller.
Experts have also pointed to language barriers and missed emails as major stumbling blocks in many of the worst-affected towns, where “in some cases the virus is disproportionately affecting people of south Asian heritage”, The Guardian reports.
So what exactly is planned?
The overhaul of what Boris Johnson promised would be a “world-beating” test-and-trace system follows widespread criticism of the costly programme.
Around 6,000 of the current 18,000 call handlers will be axed in favour of a “boots on the ground” approach that will see council workers going to the homes of people who fail to respond to calls warning that they may have been exposed to the virus.
The remaining contact tracers will work alongside the local public health teams.
Dido Harding, chair of NHS Test and Trace, said on Monday that the plan followed “successful trials in a small number of local areas”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Saint Paul de Vence: a paradise for art lovers
The Week Recommends The hilltop gem in the French Riviera where 20th century modernism flourished
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
'People in general want workers to earn a decent living'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What might a Trump victory mean for the global economy?
Today's Big Question A second term in office for the 'America First' administration would send shockwaves far beyond the United States' shores
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Bob Woodward's War: the explosive Trump revelations
In the spotlight Nobody can beat Watergate veteran at 'getting the story of the White House from the inside'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Trump kept up with Putin, sent Covid tests, book says
Speed Read The revelation comes courtesy of a new book by Bob Woodward
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'The federal government's response to the latest surge has been tepid at best'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden tests positive for Covid in fresh blow to campaign
Speed Read The president said he would consider dropping out of the race if presented with a "medical condition"
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published