Northern Ireland

Wales will have over ten times more contact tracers than Northern Ireland

Wales will have more than ten times the number of contact tracers than Northern Ireland
Wales will have more than ten times the number of contact tracers than Northern Ireland Wales will have more than ten times the number of contact tracers than Northern Ireland

Wales will have more than ten times the number of contact tracers than Northern Ireland following a new recruitment drive, BBC's Spotlight has revealed.

Northern Ireland's contact tracing service, operated by the Public Health Agency (PHA), has been criticised for not doing enough to reach the contacts of people who have tested positive for Covid.

People in the north receive a text message to let them know they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive.

However, in Wales, the contacts of people who have tested positive for coronavirus are telephoned. They also receive daily text messages or calls enquiring if they are exhibiting any symptoms.

Read More: Coronavirus test, trace and protect system 'is failing'

If people do not respond to calls or messages an enforcement team will arrive at their home to see if they are still self-isolating.

In last night's BBC Spotlight programme, presenter Jim Fitzpatrick reported that, following a recruitment drive, Wales will have one contact tracer for every 1,000 people compared to around one for every 7,000 in Northern Ireland.

Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething recently announced extra funding of £15.7m for the country's contact tracing services. The funding will see the number of contact tracers almost double to 3,100 over the winter.

Leading epidemiologist Dr Gabriel Scally told the programme that "pouring resources into a proper find, test and trace, isolate and support system is absolutely the right way to go".

But Dr Gerry Waldron from the PHA said the number of contact tracers in the north - around 250 people - "allows us to respond to the situation that we're in at the moment".