Josie Hitchen, an NHS nurse from North East England, was on a career break, in Bali, training to be a yoga instructor. But when the pandemic hit, she returned to England. She responded to the fast-tracking route on the NHS Professionals (a company owned by DoH and the leading provider of managed flexible worker services to the NHS) website and went back to her local hospital in Middlesbrough as a nurse.
Soon NHS Professionals emailed her about openings for contact tracers for NHS Test and Trace. She applied and started training immediately. It involved understanding Covid-19, familiarising with data protection and other procedures used in tracing. Josie now juggles between nursing and her contact tracing role. As her husband is away, alone with children, she likes the flexibility of shift work.
Explaining her role, Josie said, “You log on to various systems and are assigned cases. Then you run the record of the patient to get their data and prepare yourself. Next, you call them, explain who you are, where you’re calling from, what contact tracing will do, how it can help prevent the spread of the virus and ask if they’re be happy to proceed.”
She then takes them through a questionnaire on a government website, including asking for details such as where they have been, who has been in the house with them and where they have worked. People can fill in the questionnaire themselves, but not everyone has a smart phone or is comfortable doing it unassisted. The average call lasts about 45 minutes.
Though Josie has come across people who did not want to always cooperate, most people are glad to take part.
Rohit Sagoo has been a nurse in London for 22 years. He is the founder of British Sikh Nurses and has a full-time job as a lecturer in Children's Nursing at the City University. After applying for the role as a contact tracer, Rohit had to undergo 16 hours of training and complete several modules to qualify. He now works in a 4-8-hour shift for the role.
Rohit is provided with a database of people tested positive for coronavirus. He told Gujarat Samachar, "It is actually quite a smooth process. The system runs on different platforms and requires following up with patients to ascertain if they have come in contact with anyone, since testing positive. There is a form with around ten questions that I fill in while speaking to them. The questions can vary depending on people’s answers."
Rohit, who also speaks Hindi and Punjabi besides English, added, "I haven't come across anyone requiring an explanation in a language other than English. But I am sure that if I get Asian patients my language skills could be useful."
NHS Test and Trace is the service in England. Please check with your health authority for details.
Please visit nhs.uk/coronavirus to find out how to get a test.
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NHS Test & Trace
Your questions answered...
Do I have to tell the contact tracers who I’ve been in contact with?
Yes, you’ll be asked who you live and work with, and who you’ve been in contact with during leisure activities.
Will it be anonymous, or will people know you’re the one who infected them?
The NHS Test and Trace service will only tell people they’ve been in contact with someone who’s tested positive for the virus but won’t share your name and details. All information is held in strict confidence.
How will you make sure people are isolating while waiting for their test results?
Most people have been complying with social distancing, so the Government is confident the public will play their part in reducing the spread of the virus. But if they find that people are not isolating, they could issue fines.
If I’ve had a positive and no-one has called me within 24 hours, who do I call?
The service aims to make contact via email, text or landline within 24 hours of receiving the test result, so stay at home for seven days and make sure your household isolates for 14.
If I’m told to self-isolate, can I get a test?
Only order a test if you develop symptoms, and if not continue to isolate for 14 days.
Can I go out again if I get a negative test result?
No – you must complete your two-week isolation.
Will antibody test results be part of the system?
The WHO doesn’t have evidence to suggest you’re immune if you’ve had the virus, so even if you’ve had an antibody test, you’d still need to isolate for 14 days if contacted.
What about people I might have come into contact with on public transport?
Wear a mask on public transport and maintain a two-metre distance. “Contact” is defined as spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of someone with Covid-19.
How will contact tracing work if I have no phone or computer?
You do need an email address and phone number to get a test, but if you don’t have one you can use a trusted friend or family member’s.
Will I be asked to isolate more than once?
You might do if you’ve been in recent close contact with someone who’s tested positive for the virus. The best way to avoid being asked to isolate is to follow social distancing rules.
