• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Worst weekly performance for Test and Trace as consultants paid ‘£6,000 a day to run this failing service’

“In a single week this Government is paying these senior consultants more than they pay an experienced nurse in a year."

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2020-10-15 16:05
in News
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

The government’s Test and Trace has recorded its worst ever week for contact tracing as cases of coronavirus continue to rise.

He told the House of Commons that “the tracing system has been a complete disaster. The target the Government set was 80 per cent. They have never met it in a single week.

Labour MP for Rhondda, Chris Bryant said: “Last week was the worst result ever. I do not understand why Baroness Harding is still in a job. The is an absolute mystery to me. I think is it a constitutional aberration that a member of the House of Lords, who votes on party political issues, is also working effectively as a Civil Servant.

“I hate the concept of ‘world beating’ every time the Prime Minister tries to look Churchillian he looks like Neville Chamberlain to me. Lockdowns are a sign of failure to me but I bet that’s where we will end up.”

Overwhelmed

It is understood senior Government officials have expressed concern that Test and Trace could become “overwhelmed” if case numbers get too high.

They argue Test and Trace works best when incidence of Covid-19 is at lower levels and smaller outbreaks can be stopped in their tracks.

But they said it is difficult for the system to have an impact in places where incidence of coronavirus is high.

Test and Trace is also having less impact than hoped due to the fact some people who test positive find it very difficult to isolate.

New data shows 62.6% of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England were reached through the system in the week ending October 7.

RelatedPosts

Jack Whitehall muted by Sky after joking about Rupert Murdoch

‘He is like a dose of diarrhoea’ – Carol Vorderman mercilessly mocks Boris Johnson

Russian authorities race to remove new war film as footage gets shared on social media

Driver mounts pavement and drives through pedestrians to avoid Just Stop Oil protest

This is the lowest weekly percentage since Test and Trace began, and is down from 69.5% the previous week.

Health protection teams

For cases handled by local health protection teams, 97.7% of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week to October 7.

Contacts reached for all Test and Trace cases
(PA Graphics)

For those handled either online or by call centres, 57.6% of close contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate.

The way the system operates has been the subject of a political storm, with Labour highly critical of the way private firms have been used.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth highlighted reports that Boston Consulting Group executives had been paid “over £6,000 a day to run this failing service”.

“In a single week this Government is paying these senior consultants more than they pay an experienced nurse in a year,” Mr Ashworth said as he questioned why “such huge sums of money are being paid to consultants to run a service that is only getting worse”.

The Opposition has also called on the Government to ditch outsourcing giant Serco from the £12 billion operation.

The latest data shows 89,874 new people tested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week to October 7 – a 64% rise in positive cases on the previous seven days.

It is the highest weekly number since Test and Trace was launched at the end of May.

When it comes to turnaround times for test results, there has been a slight week-on-week improvement.

How the NHS contact-tracing app works
(PA Graphics)

Some 32.6% of people who were tested for Covid-19 in England in the week ending October 7 at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit – an in-person test – received their result within 24 hours.

This is up from 27.4% in the previous week.

Johnson’s pledge

Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged earlier in the year that by the end of June, the results of all in-person tests would be back within 24 hours.

Of the 87,918 people transferred to the Test and Trace system in the week to October 7, 76.8% were reached and asked to provide details of recent close contacts.

This is up slightly on 74.9% in the previous week.

This week’s figures include around 2% of the almost 16,000 cases that were previously unreported following technical errors at Public Health England.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock defended the system, telling MPs: “Through NHS Test and Trace we’ve built up a detailed picture of where and how this virus is spreading.

“This week’s NHS test and trace statistics show the testing capacity is up, testing turnaround times are down, and the distance travelled for tests is down too.”

But NHS Providers deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said: “It’s deeply unfortunate that at this point with infections rising, admissions increasing and winter looming, there’s still clearly a long way to go until our test and trace system is fit for purpose.”

Related: Watch – How is Dido Harding still in job? As it is revealed private consultants paid £7,000 a DAY

Content Protection by DMCA.com

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending

Elevenses: The Thing About Wrexham’s Cinderella Story

Elevenses: Exposing the Tories’ Deepfake Illegal Immigration Bill

Elevenses: Rishi’s Finest Hour

More from TLE

‘World’s smallest violins out’ as parents fear ‘going private is putting Oxbridge chances at risk’

Thug jailed for acid attack on three-year-old boy has been assaulted in prison

Newcastle United hero Rondon leaves West Brom for Chinese Super League

Tories hail big rise in party membership – as Labour numbers down 57k since Corbyn

PPE shortages slammed as worker deaths surpass 100

Son of a Gun – Film Review

Nothing else can save me SOS: Number of times Sue Gray told about Abba party revealed

Centrica boss in line for £1.6 million bonus following profit surge

Woman Trapped In House With Flesh Eating Disease Has Benefits Cut After Being Deemed Fit To Work

Kate Middleton’s uncle admits drunken brawl with his wife 

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.