Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 22
22
The 2020 Spending Review allocated £15 billion to NHST&T for 2021–22, to be kept under...
Conclusion
The 2020 Spending Review allocated £15 billion to NHST&T for 2021–22, to be kept under review as the vaccine programme rolled out.77 The government is now accelerating the roll-out of vaccines across the country, but we are yet to see a future strategy for test and trace in response. NHST&T anticipates a continuing need for large-scale testing and tracing alongside the vaccine programme, emphasising that vaccines and test and trace are not “either/or” strategies. The Department noted that there were still many unknowns about the vaccine, and that it still needed to think through how best to wind down test 69 C&AG’s Report, para 1.24 70 Qq 16, 24, 37, 120, 145–146, 71 Qs 24, 37, 93, 120 72 C&AG report, para 19; LGA submission 73 Qq 93–95 74 Qq 77–81 75 C&AG’s Report, para 1.24 76 C&AG’s report, para 1.21; https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-creates-new-national-institute- for-health-protection 77 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2020-documents/spending-review-2020 COVID-19: Test, track and trace (part 1) 17 and trace capacity at the appropriate time, and what kind, and level, of capacity would be required in the longer-term.78 If the country does reach a situation where outbreaks of COVID-19 are more localised and sporadic, exhaustive and prompt testing and tracing in those areas will be essential, as outlined in World Health Organisation guidance.79
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: November 2021 6.2 Since its creation in May 2020, NHST&T has set out in periodically updated business plans its strategy for testing and tracing services to respond to the changing stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. 6.3 The business plans published in July 2020 and December 2020 can be found at these links: • Developing NHS Test and Trace: business plan, DHSC, July 2020 • NHS Test and Trace business plan, DHSC, December 2020 6.4 In February 2021, the government published its roadmap out of lockdown. This included a strategy for the Test, Trace and Isolate system to help support the easing of social and economic restrictions and keep people safe. NHST&T works in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), the NHS, local authorities, businesses, schools, universities and others to deliver these services. 6.5 In August 2020, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced plans to establish a new national organisation for health protection – now named the UK Health Security Agency – and a series of reforms to strengthen the wider public health landscape. Since then, NHST&T, including the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), and Public Health England have been working together under new leadership arrangements and moving towards a shared operating model on both the COVID-19 response and designing the new organisation with the Department of Health and Social Care. 6.6 The UK Health Security Agency is being formally established in spring 2021 under its new Chair and Chief Executive, and staff and systems will transfer into the new organisation over the following months. PHE and NHST&T have jointly developed plans to support the government’s roadmap out of lockdown between April and June 2021. Longer term plans are being considered and will be finalised with the new Chair and Chief Executive before publication.