Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19 Contact Tracing: Effectiveness

Tuesday 12 January 2021 · 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 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister reported on the strong recent performance of the UK's contact tracing service despite a rise in cases.
  • The latest data indicates the service reached 85% of positive cases and provided necessary information.
  • Clive Betts noted that local NHS Test and Trace figures in Sheffield were at 59%, with 40% of non-contacts passed to local authorities for follow-up.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Clive Betts Lab Sheffield South East
NHS
Context

The effectiveness of the national and local authority levels of contact tracing has been questioned due to varying performance metrics.

Question

What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of covid-19 contact tracing at (a) national and (b) local authority level. The question stems from concerns about the efficiency of reaching individuals and their close contacts, as well as ensuring self-isolation among those identified through contact tracing.

Answer from Helen Whately

I am pleased to report that the strong recent performance of the contact tracing service has been maintained, even with the significant growth in cases. The latest weekly data show that the service made contact with almost 700,000 people: 85% of positive cases were reached and provided details of their close contacts, and 92% of those close contacts—that is almost half a million people—were then reached and told to self-isolate.

Answered
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Q2 Clive Betts Lab Sheffield South East
NHS
Context

Local authorities have noted challenges in the effectiveness of national vs local contact tracing efforts, with figures showing significant discrepancies. The question highlights a specific case in Sheffield where local authorities report lower engagement rates compared to the national system.

Question

I was asking the director of public health in Sheffield the other day about the figures for contact tracing. He says that in the NHS Test and Trace system—not the Public Health England one, but the NHS one—the current figures are 59%, and the 40% not contacted are passed on down to the local level, the city council's contact tracing service, which is then contacting 75% of the people the national system could not contact. Why, then, do the Government not give more resources and more responsibility to the local council and the director of public health? In that way, we could contact more people at far less cost than the national system.

Answer from Helen Whately

The hon. Member has described, in fact, what is a really important partnership working between the national NHS Test and Trace system and local partners such as local authorities, as indeed is happening in his own area of Sheffield, where it is that combined working that enables us to contact the maximum number of people and therefore to get more people to self-isolate and break these chains of transmission.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The MP asked why resources are not given to local councils for contact tracing efforts, but the answer focused on describing existing partnerships without committing additional resources or responsibilities.

How: Described Partnership Working

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