England’s Covid test and trace relying on inexperienced and poorly trained staff

[Northerner]

England’s test and trace service is being sub-contracted to a myriad of private companies employing inexperienced contact tracers under pressure to meet targets, a Guardian investigation has found.

Under a complex system, firms are being paid to carry out work under the government’s £22bn test and trace programme. Serco, the outsourcing firm, is being paid up to £400m for its work on test and trace, but it has subcontracted a bulk of contact tracing to 21 other companies.

Contact tracers working for these companies told the Guardian they had received little training, with one saying they were doing sensitive work while sitting beside colleagues making sales calls for gambling websites.

One contact-tracer, earning £8.72 an hour, said he was having to interview extremely vulnerable people in a “target driven” office that encouraged staff to make 20 calls a day, despite NHS guidance saying each call should take 45 to 60 minutes.

Another call centre worker, who had no experience in healthcare or emotional support, said she suffered a nervous breakdown during an online tutorial about phoning the loved ones of coronavirus victims in order to trace their final movements.

England’s Covid test and trace relying on inexperienced and poorly trained staff

Exclusive: contact tracers say ‘target-driven’ culture puts them under huge pressure to achieve results

www.theguardian.com

'World-beating' 🙄

 

[Thebearcametoo]

My friend has been doing this from home. He said training was watching corporate videos that told you a lot about how wonderful they were but little about what you actually needed to do to do the job. His time at the computer is logged and micromanaged and he frequently calls people who will say it’s the 3rd call they’ve had that day as the systems aren’t integrated.

 

[grovesy]

My friend has been doing this from home. He said training was watching corporate videos that told you a lot about how wonderful they were but little about what you actually needed to do to do the job. His time at the computer is logged and micromanaged and he frequently calls people who will say it’s the 3rd call they’ve had that day as the systems aren’t integrated.

There have been umpteen reports of people having multiple calls even to members of the same household.

 

[Northerner]

Anyone remember Theresa May saying an extra £22bn of SAVINGS had to be made in the NHS because there was 'no money'? Obviously it is there if they can channel it to their mates and donors 🙄 The biggest lie is calling this the 'NHS Test and Trace'

No extra money for NHS, Theresa May tells health chief

Prime minister says service should focus on making efficiencies to fill £22bn hole in finances despite warnings that hospitals are close to breaking point

www.theguardian.com