CONTACT TRACERS NOW IN ACTION ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT

Local contact tracers are now in action on the Isle of Wight — after an initial delay when it was thought there was less need for them.

Confirmed by the Isle of Wight Council, local contact tracers have now been following up cases for a week, having started last Thursday (3rd December).

Mostly done through a national base, contact tracers alert anyone who may have been in contact with a case of COVID-19 of the need to self-isolate.

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Dedicated teams have been set up in local areas across the country, with some authorities establishing them as early as August, ensuring those who could not be found by the national system are found locally.

In November, the Isle of Wight Council was setting up the service but did not launch it as there had been a good success rate through the national tracers, who followed up with a very high proportion of cases and contacts.

Now, the Island’s team is up and running, contacting those who need to self-isolate, working with Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace, who will follow-up the close contacts.

Speaking at a meeting of the council’s policy and scrutiny committee for health and social care, Simon Bryant, the Island’s director of public health, said the cases come to contact tracing team 24 hours after the national system if they have not been able to be followed up.

Mr Byrant also said data from other local tracing teams suggest only 20% of COVID cases will come to the dedicated team to trace, as 40% of contacts are able to be reached online and the other 40% through the national service.

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Further details of the scheme have since been released with Mr Bryant saying the combination of a large scale national operation and local knowledge is a ‘good mix’.

He said:

“Other local authorities where local tracing has been introduced are reporting successful engagement with their tracing services because residents can be more receptive to answering a local number, which in the case of the Island will be an 01983 call.

“Local call handlers have knowledge of the area and are more likely to be familiar with specific locations which will enable the early identification of links between cases – plus they will be able to offer advice on the community support available to help people to self-isolate if required, and to pick up on any welfare and wellbeing concerns, signposting to local sources of help and assistance.

“Our pilot is in the early stages at present but plans are in place to roll out across the Island in the coming weeks.”

Members of staff from the council’s contact centre have also been trained to support the service, which operates between 11:30 to 19:30 Monday to Friday and 10:00 to 15:00 at weekends and bank holidays.