Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 34
34
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 237
We recognise that the effectiveness of test and trace in reducing transmission is likely to...
Conclusion
We recognise that the effectiveness of test and trace in reducing transmission is likely to be reduced when the prevalence of the virus is high, as highlighted by Professor Whitty and others, but it is clear from the latest data and the experience of September 2020 that even at the level of operational effectiveness, NHS Test and Trace has been unable to respond to rising rates of transmission of covid-19.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government partially accepts the recommendation, agreeing on the vital need for operational competence to scale up test and trace. It details UKHSA's current surge capacity (700-800k PCR, 2.5m LFD daily) and commits to working with local authorities and maintaining local relationships to build resilient and scalable infrastructure for future emergencies.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
237
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
The government partially accepts this recommendation. The government agrees with the Committees that it is vital to have the operational competence to rapidly scale up test, trace and isolate programmes in future health emergencies. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has the capability and capacity to maintain central surge capacity for testing and contact tracing during a public health emergency. UKHSA has the capacity to conduct 700,000 PCR tests per day and scale this up to 800,000 PCR tests per day in 72 hours. UKHSA also has the capacity to deliver 2.5 million Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests per day. The government is working with local authorities to ensure they have the knowledge, experience, and capability to support future contact tracing arrangements and to draw down expert advice to deploy for greatest public health benefit, including the capacity to respond to future public health emergencies. UKHSA will also maintain the well-established relationships with local tracing arrangements within all local authorities. The government will ensure that the UK has a resilient and scalable infrastructure in place to protect the public from new and existing threats to health, building on the legacy of the response to this pandemic as set out in the ‘Living with COVID-19’ strategy.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗