IBMS contributes to Parliamentary COVID-19 report
The APPG was set up in July this year to conduct a rapid inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic. Its purpose is to ensure that lessons are learned and to issue recommendations to the government ‘so that its preparedness and response may be improved in future’.
Today’s report contains 71 key findings and makes 44 recommendations which are termed ‘more important than ever’, adding that the government is ‘gambling with the UK’s future by relaxing restrictions over the Christmas period and returning to a tier system which we know has not worked before’.
- The centralised and outsourced Test and Trace system operating in England is not working. It has consistently failed to meet the required target of 80% of contacts traced to be effective. The government has prioritised arbitrary testing targets over a coordinated testing strategy. Without adequate financial support and general assistance to isolate, the requirement to isolate is not being complied with by a significant proportion of cases.
As a result, the chains of transmission are not being broken, and cases can continue to rise. Lockdowns have become the UK Government’s only solution to bringing down the incidence of Covid-19 in England, because it does not have a locally led Find, Test, Trace, Isolate and Support system in place throughout the country. - The government should launch a national registry to count the number of people living with Long Covid in the UK and spearhead global effort to research Long Covid.
“We are concerned that the government’s approach so far has not worked and has left the UK mourning one of the highest number of lives lost to the pandemic.
The Pfizer vaccine being approved is certainly promising news, but the Government can’t take its foot off the peddle as vaccines are approved.
Our cross-party inquiry has clear evidence that we need a long-term exit strategy for a Covid-Secure UK that suppresses and controls coronavirus properly before rolling out vaccines.
Our message to the Prime Minister is that without a proper long-term exit strategy, relying on a tier system we know doesn’t work and waiting for enough people to be vaccinated will only lead to a likely third spike and lockdown in the New Year.”
"It’s clear that today’s centralised and outsourced Test, Trace, Isolate and Support system simply isn’t working, and has consistently failed to meet the required target of 80% of contacts traced.
Local public health teams have a far better track record of delivery, and Government needs to enable them to take this on. But testing and tracing alone is not enough. For this system to be effective, it must be backed up with financial support and assistance for those isolating."
"The IBMS welcomes the publication of this report and backs the APPG recommendations for a more effective test and trace system.
I am grateful for the opportunity, through the evidence we were asked to submit and my appearance at the APPG hearing, to have been able to raise concerns of the profession to the parliamentary committee. A lack of a collaboration between Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 in resources, staff, decision making and data sharing is impacting upon the success of the testing regime. The IBMS recommends a coordinated approach which utilises the expertise and experience of our members."
Further information
Read the APPG report and key recommendations