COVID test and trace scheme in Cambridgeshre traces 80 per cents of cases

The Peterborough contact tracing service launched in August and was extended to cover the whole county on 19 November.

Since August, 787 cases have been passed to the local scheme - all people that the national service has unsuccessfully tried to contact on numerous occasions. The team has made contact with 85 per cent of those 787, a total of 657 people.

Since November 19, when the countywide service launched, 280 cases have been passed to the local service, with an 83 per cent of cases completed.

Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City Council and the five district and city councils in Cambridgeshire, are all working closely with NHS Test and Trace to contact people who have tested positive for Covid-19, giving them help, advice and support to self-isolate.

It is an extension of the Peterborough scheme which launched in August.

Dr Liz Robin, Director of Public Health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “It has been a really good start for the countywide scheme which is a continuation of the great work we have seen in Peterborough since the local contact tracing work began there in the summer. We have consistently been reaching in the region of 80 per cent of cases passed to us which is fantastic and a credit to the team doing this very important work.

“We know that the quicker we can reach people who’ve tested positive and get them to isolate - and to share details of who they’ve been in contact with - the quicker we can break the chain of infection.

“Cases of the virus are stabilising or reducing in most parts of the county, but they remain much higher than the summer and we need to continue to all work together to see that reduce. A really important part of this is getting people to self-isolate if they have symptoms, or if they are the close contact of someone who has.”

Officers from each of the councils, who have undergone special training in contact tracing, follow up on people who have tested positive for Covid-19 but have not responded to a call or email from the national service, and ask them for details of their close contacts.

Council officers initially make contact by phone, text or email asking people to call a local number - which from earlier experiences in contacting shielded people, has been found to be more effective than a contact from a national number.

But if this fails, the officers, who all carry local authority identification - make house to house visits to reach those people who have tested positive. They are given advice and support on how they can stay isolated to break the chain of infection, and prevent it spreading to their household contacts. They will also be asked to share details of others they have been in contact with.

Anyone who is concerned by being contacted can call the council or local community hub to check the identity of the tracer on 0345 045 5219.

Councillor Peter Hudson, chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Health Committee, said: “This is a really positive start to our locally enhanced contact tracing service and I would like to say a big thankyou to all the staff who are working so hard to ensure that we can support as many people as possible to self-isolate if they need to.

“Rates of the virus are reducing in many parts of the county, but it is still vitally important that we all do what we can to ensure those rates don’t begin to increase again, particularly in the run-up to Christmas. If you are asked to self-isolate as a result of testing positive, or being the close contact of someone who has, please do it. You will be helping to keep yourself and your loved ones safe and supporting the county to get back to normal as quickly as possible.

“There really is no reason not to self-isolate, with support available for anyone who needs it from the network of support hubs.”

Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, cabinet member for adult social care and public health for Peterborough City Council, said: “The contact tracing scheme has been a big success in Peterborough because our staff, with expert knowledge of their patch, have had the opportunity to trace people that the national system cannot. It is great to see that this model is now working just as effectively across the whole of the county.

“Although rates of the virus are reducing nationally, they remain high in Peterborough and we need people to make sure they are self-isolating if they test positive or are a close contact of someone who has, to limit the spread of the virus. Do it for the people you love – your friends and family.

“If you need support to self-isolate, help is available from the Peterborough Hub. There really is no reason not to.”

Support is available for people who need to isolate - and don’t have friends, family or neighbours to help - through the network of support hubs run by the district and city councils. The hubs can help people to get food and medicine without leaving home - or even find volunteers to walk dogs. This information will be given to all those who are contacted.

In addition, each of the district and city councils is running a Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme which entitles people who meet certain criteria to a one-off payment of £500.

Those who don’t meet the criteria to claim from the Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme but are still adversely affected as a result of not being able to work, can also apply for a £500 discretionary payment.

Details of these support packages is available on each of the district and city council websites.

No one contacted by NHS Test and Trace will ever be asked for money or their bank details - as the purpose is to let them know how to isolate and get support if they need it. Tests for Covid-19, whether at a mobile testing unit, official drive through centres or elsewhere, or ordered online or by phone are always entirely free