Test and Trace system still failing to reach almost half of contacts in region

It comes as NHS Test and Trace reached its lowest ever proportion of close contacts nationally, with some 40 per cent of people not advised to isolate by contact tracers.

Data from the Department for Health and Social care shows around 52,000 people in the region should have been contacted by the Test and Trace service between May 28 and October 28, after coming into contact with someone with coronavirus.

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

But more than 20,000 people were not contacted, or failed to respond – which meant they were never told to isolate.

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In Dudley, 2,898 people tested positive for Covid-19 during this time, with 7,148 close contacts identified. But just 61 per cent were reached, meaning 2,787 people were not contacted or did not respond.

In Wolverhampton, 3,007 people who tested positive were transferred to the service, with 6,507 close contacts identified. But just 56 per cent of those were reached, meaning 2,866 people were not contacted or did not respond.

A total of 4,837 people tested Covid positive in Sandwell, leading to 10,970 close contacts being identified. But only 56.5 per cent were contacted, that's 4,777 who were not reached.

Over in Walsall, there were 3,675 people who tested positive for coronavirus and transferred to the Test and Trace system in this time, leading to 8,242 close contacts being identified.

However, only 60.7 per cent were reached, meaning 3,243 people were not contacted or did not respond.

And elsewhere, in Staffordshire, 8,744 were Covid positive between May 28 and October 28 and transferred to the testing system.

This led to 20,065 close contacts being identified over the period – but only 64.5 per cent of those were reached, so 7,121 people were not contacted.

Across England, 58.5 per cent of contacts not managed by local health protection teams were reached and told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace in the latest week to October 28.

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

The contact tracing rate including these cases was 59.9 per cent – a record low.

Before the new figures were published, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said the month-long lockdown that began in England on Thursday will be used to “redouble our efforts” to expand the NHS Test and Trace programme.

He said it is also vital to increase the speed at which test results are returned: "Lots of people are receiving them the next day which is good, but there are still too many people who are having to wait for days and we are going to continue to work to speed that up."