Recommendation 20

While we welcome NHST&T’s increasing collaboration with local authorities, we see a need for it to expand its collaboration with a range of other sectors, reflecting the wider scope of the roll-out of rapid testing. In our local constituencies, we heard of lack of engagement with school heads in the roll-out of mass testing for schools, although NHST&T told us there were joint working teams with the Department for Education for activity within schools and universities.74 We also remain concerned at the lack of clinical public health expertise at senior levels within NHST&T.75 Without cross-working processes at different levels, linking well to regions and local areas, and rooted in sound clinical and practical public health considerations, it will be difficult to develop effective collaborations across different sectors on a consistent basis. NHST&T is not just a large- scale customer service organisation; it is a vital public health intervention. The National Institute for Health Protection and long-term strategy