Recommendation 12

We asked our witnesses what progress had been made across government to improve self-isolation rates since we last examined the programme. The Department asserted that it has done significant work, including appointing a cross-government senior officer with responsibility for compliance with self-isolation. It explained that it was focussing on three areas: communications so people understand the importance of getting a test when they have symptoms; removing physical barriers to testing; and providing financial and practical support for people that are self-isolating, such as through hardship payments and medicine deliveries. It told us that it now had over 1,000 testing sites and 35,000 post- boxes to receive tests, as well as home testing and pharmacies that could give out tests. It 15 Committee of Public Accounts, COVID-19: Test, track and trace (part 1), Forty-Seventh report of Session 2019–21, HC 932, 10 March 2021, para 1 16 C&AG’s Report, para 17, 3.24–3.28 17 C&AG’s Report, para 15 18 Qq 42–43 19 C&AG’s Report, para 3.18, 3.19 20 C&AG’s Report, paras 16, 3.21–3.23 12 Test and Trace update similarly explained that it had made £176 million available to support those who need to self-isolate, including £73 million to pay for the Test and Trace support payment, which provided £500 to anyone who needed to self-isolate and was on qualifying benefits, and £75 million for discretionary hardship payments.21