Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

NHS Test and Trace

Tuesday 1 September 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Mary Robinson asked about devolving testing to local authorities like Stockport to continue the trend of low infection rates.
  • The Secretary of State acknowledged the success in Stockport and emphasized the importance of integration between national and local systems.
  • Philippa Whitford questioned the effectiveness of the call-centre system run by Serco compared to Regional Public Health England teams.
  • The Secretary of State responded that a combination of national and local systems works best to reach scale quickly.
  • Improvements to the system are necessary, with a focus on constant performance enhancement.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mary Robinson Con Cheadle
NHS
Context

The effectiveness of NHS Test and Trace has been questioned, and there are discussions about devolving responsibilities.

Question

Cheadle residents welcome the release of intervention measures and appreciate the role test and trace played in getting rates low. To continue this trend, will the Secretary of State consider devolving testing to local authorities like Stockport which has a high success rate?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matthew Hancock

My hon. Friend's community in Stockport played an important role in success, acknowledging both national and local efforts. Integration between a national system that can move fast at scale and a local system with boots on the ground is critical.

Answered
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Q2 Philippa Whitford SNP Central Ayrshire
NHS
Context

Discussion on the effectiveness of private companies versus local public health teams in contact tracing efforts during a pandemic.

Question

The call-centre system run by Serco has managed to contact only 60% of people's contacts, while Regional Public Health England teams have been working flat out for seven months and are tracing more than 95% of the cases. Does the Secretary of State really think that threatening job security with a reorganisation is wise during a pandemic?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matthew Hancock

When trying to reach scale fast, we use the national system that then engages with the local system; it is the combination of both that works best. Regarding making improvements to how things operate going forward, constant seeking for better performance is necessary.

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