Another big lie

Pigs - snouts in trough.

'Strange' that the test and trace service was put out to private contracts when the money could have gone to enhancing LA public health inspection services which already had the necessary expertise and experience...

One of the people who called the house threatened to send the police around because I wasn't able to take the 25 minute questionnaire at that precise moment and asked to be called back in 30 minutes.

There is no common sense in their approach and if its improved I can't imagine how bad it was at the beginning.

Given that a large scale pandemic was predicted and expected at some point and warnings were made years beforehand, these discussions and working systems should have already been in place instead of created on the fly

More from the NAO-an interim report.

The primary goal of NHST&T is to help break chains of COVID-19 transmission and enable people to return towards a more normal way of life. Since it was established in May 2020 there have been two national lockdowns and more than four million confirmed cases. In order to break chains of transmission, SAGE advises that it is desirable that no more than 48 hours should elapse between identification of an index case and their contacts self-isolating, and that 80% of these contacts would need to be reached. NHST&T now reaches around 85% of all contacts, and has reduced the elapsed time to trace contacts for in-person PCR tests. However, in‑person PCR tests make up a declining minority of tests, and it is less clear whether the wider system is operating as quickly as it needs to. Since November, it has rolled out a national asymptomatic testing programme to seek to identify those people who do not know they have COVID-19. Only a small minority of the tests it has bought have been registered as used, and NHST&T is now undertaking research to understand the reasons for this with a work programme underway to bring about improvements. The success of the test and trace programme relies on the public coming forward for tests when they have symptoms, carrying out asymptomatic tests when they do not, and complying with instructions to self‑isolate where necessary. NHST&T is responsible for driving up public compliance, but research suggests that only a minority of people who have COVID-19 symptoms come forward for testing. It has no target for increasing this, the uptake of LFD testing or compliance with self-isolation.

NHST&T was set up at speed with a workforce heavily reliant on consultants. It had planned to reduce its dependency on consultants but has not yet done so. NHST&T operates in an environment of high uncertainty, where demand for testing and tracing can be affected at short notice by new variants, case numbers and policy decisions (for example, national lockdowns). It is therefore challenging to forecast costs with precision. However, there is a very wide margin between the underspend of around 10% that NHST&T discussed with the Committee of Public Accounts in January 2021, and the 39% underspend of its 2020-21 budget that it reported two months later. It has taken steps to increase the flexibility of its contracts for contact tracing and future laboratory use and has generally improved its provision of data to and engagement with local authorities. However, local authorities still struggle to get timely access to the data they need to deal with localised outbreaks of COVID-19, and they are unclear on the planned operating model after July 2021. To achieve value for money NHST&T must be able to demonstrate both that the interventions it delivers are effective in achieving its objective, and that the mix of interventions is the most cost-effective use of public resources.

Also both positives being under 18 and contacts of another positive have emails stating they do not have to isolate.

Absolutely baffling and ridiculous system that most 12 year old these days could design better

Can I just say that test and trace is the most ridiculous system I have ever come across.

6 person household as eldest has moved out.

2 positive cases.

Each positive case means no less than 6 calls, one to advise the positive person and 5 to advise the individual family members who have been in contact with them.

So in total, 12 calls for one household which includes minor children.

Ridiculous waste of time and money!

MaizieD

^We need a leader who has lived in the real world, not the continuing line of privileged career politicians who wouldn’t pee on us commoners if we were on fire!^

Well, funnily enough we have a 'real world politician being discussed right now on anther thread and she is having seven buckets of sh*t being virtually knocked out of her because she is 'real world'.

The British love their privileged politicians, the posher the better...

I know MaizieD, it's sickening, talk about stereotyping, people should take a long hard look at their prejudices. And why GNetters should take a pop at a woman who has literally dragged herself out of poverty and become an MP is beyond me. How very dare she!

We need a leader who has lived in the real world, not the continuing line of privileged career politicians who wouldn’t pee on us commoners if we were on fire!

Well, funnily enough we have a 'real world politician being discussed right now on anther thread and she is having seven buckets of sh*t being virtually knocked out of her because she is 'real world'.

The British love their privileged politicians, the posher the better...

Whitewavemark2

So the NAO backs up the Good Law Project and further compounds the governments lack of transparency.

An audit needs to be carried out on every company who benefited from the tax payers generosity.

In terms of the NAO this is ‘very strong language’. It was published in November 2020.

Their reports are rarely widely reported unfortunately. They can be very scathing in audit speak.

I don’t think people will forget when the time comes to vote next, but there’s a very motley crew to choose from. As soon as the next lot get voted in they’ll revert to type, lose their morals and line their pockets.

We need a leader who has lived in the real world, not the continuing line of privileged career politicians who wouldn’t pee on us commoners if we were on fire!

So the NAO backs up the Good Law Project and further compounds the governments lack of transparency.

An audit needs to be carried out on every company who benefited from the tax payers generosity.

From the National Audit Office
While government had the necessary legal framework in place to award contracts directly, it had to balance the need to procure large volumes of goods and services quickly, with the increased commercial and propriety risks associated with emergency procurement. We looked in detail at a sample of contracts selected on a risk basis. Although we found sufficient documentation for a number of procurements in our sample, we also found specific examples where there is insufficient documentation on key decisions, or how risks such as perceived or actual conflicts of interest have been identified or managed. In addition, a number of contracts were awarded retrospectively, or have not been published in a timely manner. This has diminished public transparency, and the lack of adequate documentation means we cannot give assurance that government has adequately mitigated the increased risks arising from emergency procurement or applied appropriate commercial practices in all cases. While we recognise that these were exceptional circumstances, there are standards that the public sector will always need to apply if it is to maintain public trust.

www.nao.org.uk/report/government-procurement-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

Just an excerpt from the conclusion

More suffering to come for the poorest as well. All that money in so few pockets. This government is corrupt from top to bottom.

It is vile that they didn't even try to do their best for the UK population, only for themselves.

Likewise Brexit.

All the pigeons are coming home to roost as far as this Government is concerned. As growstuff said, let us not forget at the next election, although some people have very short memories sadly

The thing that I can’t forget is that whilst the country was facing the biggest crises since WW2 and people were suffering and dying in 10000’s all the Tories could think of was to fill their pockets with the taxpayers money.

They have made a killing both literally and metaphorically, for those Tories it has been a very good epidemic just as some had a very good war.

It is abhorrent.

I disagree that's there's nothing to choose between them.

The only thing you can do is not forget about all this next time you're in a ballot box.

I don't think it's a matter of people not caring. What the hell are we supposed to do about it?

Just the fact that they're getting away with it proves they appear to be above the law. All corrupt and no morals. Money grabbers the lot of them and not a thing to choose between them!

I just despair at how blatantly they are getting away with this cash bunging fiesta. And how much the tax payer and general public do not care.