Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 36
36
Accepted
Paragraph: 239
Partly because it was set up too late, NHS Test and Trace ultimately fell short...
Recommendation
Partly because it was set up too late, NHS Test and Trace ultimately fell short of the expectations set for it. It has failed to make a significant enough impact on the course of the pandemic to justify the level of public investment it received. It clearly failed on its own terms, given its aim in September to “avoid the need for a second lockdown” by contributing to a reduction in the ‘R’ number. While we acknowledge that test, trace and isolate activities are just one—albeit crucial—component of the measures undertaken to tackle covid-19, NHS Test and Trace (NHSTT) clearly failed to achieve this central objective. NHSTT has also consistently failed to reach the 72- hour turnaround time as identified as necessary by SAGE, including a significant failure in September 2020. Further, although the Government first described the impact of NHSTT on reducing ‘R’ in December, it took an unacceptably long two months before the evidence and analysis behind this assertion was made public. When it was published it became clear that the analysis was outdated, invalidating claims made at the time. The use of inaccurate data and the lack of transparency impeded effective public scrutiny at a crucial time in the pandemic.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepts the recommendation to ensure robust and scalable test, trace, and isolate programmes for future health emergencies. It highlights UKHSA's current capacity to conduct and scale up PCR and LFD testing within 72 hours, and commits to continuing to develop its capabilities and ensure resilient infrastructure.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
239
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The government accepts this recommendation. The government agrees with the Committees that it is vital to ensure that, in future health emergencies, the UK has robust plans and the capabilities to rapidly scale up test, trace and isolate programmes. The government has already taken steps to ensure that 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 will continue to develop its capacity to enable early and effective detection of disease through testing and surveillance, and to intervene to stop the spread of infection through contact tracing and isolation. Looking ahead, the government will ensure that a resilient and scalable infrastructure is 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.
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