• Contact us
  • About us
  • Digital edition
  • Online archive
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    Councils ask for planned mayoral election to be postponed

    Councils ask for planned mayoral election to be postponed

    Leo Group owner completes epic cycling challenge for MND research

    Leo Group owner completes epic cycling challenge for MND research

    Support for Penrith Mountain Rescue Team after charity box stolen

    Support for Penrith Mountain Rescue Team after charity box stolen

    Inspiring Penrith teacher Dawn Coates retires after 26 years

    Inspiring Penrith teacher Dawn Coates retires after 26 years

    Use it or lose it: Urgent appeal for people to get on the bus

    Use it or lose it: Urgent appeal for people to get on the bus

    Penrith’s Enterprise Hub plans start to take shape

    Penrith’s Enterprise Hub plans start to take shape

    Nurturing Eden school praised by Ofsted

    Nurturing Eden school praised by Ofsted

    Inflation and the impact on savings

    Inflation and the impact on savings

    Celebrating Alston’s heritage heroes

    Celebrating Alston’s heritage heroes

  • Sport
    Success for fighting squad

    Success for fighting squad

    Penrith skipper Nicky Burns calls on team to keep winning

    Penrith skipper Nicky Burns calls on team to keep winning

    £100,000 target for new changing rooms extension

    £100,000 target for new changing rooms extension

    Medal success for Upper Eden tug-of-war team

    Medal success for Upper Eden tug-of-war team

    Eden man competes in Hyrox World Games

    Eden man competes in Hyrox World Games

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • Buy Photos
  • Buy your paper
  • North Lakes Living
No Result
View All Result
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    Councils ask for planned mayoral election to be postponed

    Councils ask for planned mayoral election to be postponed

    Leo Group owner completes epic cycling challenge for MND research

    Leo Group owner completes epic cycling challenge for MND research

    Support for Penrith Mountain Rescue Team after charity box stolen

    Support for Penrith Mountain Rescue Team after charity box stolen

    Inspiring Penrith teacher Dawn Coates retires after 26 years

    Inspiring Penrith teacher Dawn Coates retires after 26 years

    Use it or lose it: Urgent appeal for people to get on the bus

    Use it or lose it: Urgent appeal for people to get on the bus

    Penrith’s Enterprise Hub plans start to take shape

    Penrith’s Enterprise Hub plans start to take shape

    Nurturing Eden school praised by Ofsted

    Nurturing Eden school praised by Ofsted

    Inflation and the impact on savings

    Inflation and the impact on savings

    Celebrating Alston’s heritage heroes

    Celebrating Alston’s heritage heroes

  • Sport
    Success for fighting squad

    Success for fighting squad

    Penrith skipper Nicky Burns calls on team to keep winning

    Penrith skipper Nicky Burns calls on team to keep winning

    £100,000 target for new changing rooms extension

    £100,000 target for new changing rooms extension

    Medal success for Upper Eden tug-of-war team

    Medal success for Upper Eden tug-of-war team

    Eden man competes in Hyrox World Games

    Eden man competes in Hyrox World Games

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • Buy Photos
  • Buy your paper
  • North Lakes Living
No Result
View All Result
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
No Result
View All Result
Home Latest

How has NHS Test and Trace performed in Cumbria?

by CWH
12 March 2021
in Latest, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Picture: PA

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to defend the NHS Test and Trace programme recently after a damning report by MPs concluded that there was no clear evidence it had cut COVID-19 infections.

In its report, the Commons Public Accounts Committee called on the Government to justify the “staggering investment” of taxpayers’ money.

A total £37 billion has been allocated for Test and Trace over two years, after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a further £15 billion for the service in the latest Budget.

How has NHS Test and Trace performed in Cumbria?

Data from the Department for Health and Social care shows at least 454,356 COVID-19 tests were carried out in the area between May 28 and March 3, with a minimum of 28,710 returning positive results.

People aged 50 to 59 produced the largest share of positive tests, for those where an age was provided – at least 4,765 – followed by people aged 20 to 29 (4,386).

Weekly figures are suppressed if they are below three, meaning the totals could be higher.

Over the nine-month period, 26,757 positive cases in Cumbria were transferred to the system for tracing.

Contact tracers ask new patients to give details for anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms started.

In total, 51,559 close contacts were identified in the area during that time – those not managed by local health protection teams, which are dealt with through a call centre or online.

Overall, 82.9 per cent of those were reached and advised to self-isolate, meaning 8,808 people were not contacted or did not respond.

That was the highest proportion in the North West, where 74.8 per cent of contacts were reached on average.

Across England, 80.6 per cent of contacts not managed by local health protection had been reached by NHS Test and Trace since its inception.

Local health protection teams deal with cases linked to settings such as hospitals, schools and prisons.

The contact tracing rate including these cases was 81.8 per cent.

Around 3.7 million cases had been transferred to the test and trace system nationally by March 3.

While the PAC said the Test and Trace programme publishes a significant amount of weekly data, it criticised it for failing to show the speed of the process from “cough to contact” and therefore not allowing the public to judge the overall effectiveness of the programme.

PAC MPs also said ministers had justified the vast expenditure on preventing a second national lockdown, but noted the fact that England is currently enduring its third in questioning the programme’s effectiveness.

They also urged the scheme led by Tory peer Dido Harding to “wean itself off” reliance on thousands of expensive consultants and temporary staff, with some receiving £6,624 per day.

Defending the programme during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson said: “It’s thanks to NHS Test and Trace that we’re able to send kids back to school and begin cautiously and irreversibly to reopen our economy and restart our lives.”

Related Posts

Councils ask for planned mayoral election to be postponed
News

Councils ask for planned mayoral election to be postponed

11 July 2025
Leo Group owner completes epic cycling challenge for MND research
News

Leo Group owner completes epic cycling challenge for MND research

11 July 2025
Support for Penrith Mountain Rescue Team after charity box stolen
News

Support for Penrith Mountain Rescue Team after charity box stolen

11 July 2025
Inspiring Penrith teacher Dawn Coates retires after 26 years
News

Inspiring Penrith teacher Dawn Coates retires after 26 years

11 July 2025
Use it or lose it: Urgent appeal for people to get on the bus
News

Use it or lose it: Urgent appeal for people to get on the bus

11 July 2025
Penrith’s Enterprise Hub plans start to take shape
Latest

Penrith’s Enterprise Hub plans start to take shape

11 July 2025
No Result
View All Result

Stay connected

Facebook Twitter Instagram

Most popular

Master cross-border business: Smart strategies for UK-Ireland business success

Master cross-border business: Smart strategies for UK-Ireland business success

11 July 2025
Use it or lose it: Urgent appeal for people to get on the bus

Use it or lose it: Urgent appeal for people to get on the bus

11 July 2025
Celebrating Alston’s heritage heroes

Celebrating Alston’s heritage heroes

11 July 2025
Inspiring Penrith teacher Dawn Coates retires after 26 years

Inspiring Penrith teacher Dawn Coates retires after 26 years

11 July 2025
Nurturing Eden school praised by Ofsted

Nurturing Eden school praised by Ofsted

11 July 2025
Inflation and the impact on savings

Inflation and the impact on savings

11 July 2025
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Logo

33 Middlegate
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 7SY

Phone: 01768 862313
Email: news@cwherald.com

Registered in England as Barrnon Media Limited. No: 12475190
VAT registration number: 343486488

Explore

  • News
  • Sport
  • Farming
  • Property
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Your view

Useful links

  • Contact us
  • Photosales
  • Online archive
  • Buy your paper
  • Digital edition
  • North Lakes Living
  • Advertise
  • About us

Follow us on

© Barrnon Media Limited 2025

Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy

This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation
Review Your Cart
0
Discount
Add Coupon Code
Subtotal
Total Installment Payments
Bundle Discount
Checkout

 
0
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • more
    • North Lakes Living
    • Buy Photos
    • Buy your paper
    • About us
    • Contact us

© 2020 Cumberland & Westmorland Herald