Thousands of call handlers hired for the NHS Test and Trace scheme are set to be sacked as the beleaguered scheme is ‘reconfigured’ because staff simply ‘do not have enough to do’, it emerged today. Britons who fail to answer calls from the NHS Test and Trace service may now face a knock on the … Read more
NHS Test and Trace is getting worse at tracking down contacts of infected Covid-19 patients, the government today admitted amid mounting pressure to improve the system before the winter. Data shows that 72.4 per cent of close contacts were reached by NHS call handlers in the week ending July 29 — down from 76.2 per cent during … Read more
Cold callers are being blamed for failures in the NHS Test and Trace service because people do not want to answer ‘unrecognisable’ 0300 numbers. Call centre staff trying to reach people who have come into contact with positive coronavirus cases say many people ignore their calls because the 0300 prefix is often used by cold … Read more
Keir Starmer warns Boris Johnson has a MONTH to fix the NHS test and trace system or the UK will face a ‘long bleak winter’ of coronavirus crisis Keir Starmer has warned time is running out to avert another coronavirus peak Labour leader says failure to act now will mean a ‘long bleak winter’ of … Read more
The world must ‘learn to live’ with the coronavirus, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official insisted today. Dr David Nabarro, a Covid-19 envoy for the UN agency, warned the virus isn’t going away’ for the foreseeable future because it ‘doesn’t get bored’. But he claimed life ‘can go on’ with robust test and trace systems, … Read more
Children returning to school in September will trigger a devastating second wave of Covid-19 that could infect twice as many as the first unless the test and trace system drastically improves, a major study has claimed. Scientists said reopening schools in the UK would inevitably result in another crisis that peaks in December. But it … Read more
KFC closes branch in Somerset after worker falls ill with coronavirus as customers receive NHS test and trace texts The restaurant in Glastonbury, Somerset, has been closed for deep cleaning Staff at the restaurant have been advised to get tested for coronavirus Customers who ate at the KFC reported receiving NHS test and trace texts By … Read more
The Government will launch a new NHS Test and Trace public health campaign in a desperate bid to improve the lagging system after it emerged a third of contacts are still being missed. A TV advert that will air tonight will tell Britons that if they test positive for Covid-19, they must hand over details … Read more
NHS Test and Trace is still failing to track down up to half of Covid-19 patients’ contacts in areas most at risk of local lockdowns, it emerged last night. In Luton, which has the fifth highest infection rate in England, just 47 per cent of potentially-infected people were contacted by the system since its launch … Read more
Government admits its test and trace programme broke data protection law as privacy campaigners call the scheme ‘reckless’ and ‘rushed-out’ Department of Health admitted it did not carry out privacy impact assessment This has led campaigners to claim test and trace programme breaks data laws The government insists that there is no evidence of data … Read more