Gateshead Council introduces enhanced Covid-19 contact tracing service
In order to prevent the further local spread of Covid-19, we have introduced an enhanced contact tracing service to complement the national Test and Trace service.
Anyone within Gateshead testing positive for Covid-19 will be initially contacted by the national NHS Test and Trace team to give advice and obtain details of anyone you've been in contact with and if necessary, notify them to self-isolate at home.
If for whatever reason the national team are unable to successfully reach you after several attempts via telephone, text message and email, our enhanced contact tracing team will then contact you and apply our local knowledge in assisting tracing anyone you've been in contact with to help stop any further transmission of the virus.
Alice Wiseman, Public Health Director with Gateshead Council said:
"We're seeing significant numbers of people who are more willing to engage with our local contact tracing service after previously appearing to refuse contact from the national service. A familiar voice from a local number can sometimes make all the difference.
"Our role is to speak to them and gather information about the people they may have had close contact with and for how long while infected. The advantage of your local council offering this service should anyone need to isolate is the additional support we can offer to make the process easier.
"Many support services established during the first wave of the pandemic have been providing vital services to residents for almost a year now, so whether it is arranging food or medicine deliveries or simply finding someone to walk the dog, we're here to help people stay home and reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others."
We are among the first local authorities to introduce enhanced contact tracing nationally, and it is anticipated more councils will follow the same model as the fight against Covid-19 continues
Our contact tracing team is consists of 30 full-time and part-time staff and will use a combination of telephone calls, text messages and home visits where necessary to help identify people at risk of catching Covid-19 through close contact with someone already infected and support them in self-isolating.
In order to prevent the further local spread of Covid-19, we have introduced an enhanced contact tracing service to complement the national Test and Trace service.
Anyone within Gateshead testing positive for Covid-19 will be initially contacted by the national NHS Test and Trace team to give advice and obtain details of anyone you've been in contact with and if necessary, notify them to self-isolate at home.
If for whatever reason the national team are unable to successfully reach you after several attempts via telephone, text message and email, our enhanced contact tracing team will then contact you and apply our local knowledge in assisting tracing anyone you've been in contact with to help stop any further transmission of the virus.
Alice Wiseman, Public Health Director with Gateshead Council said:
"We're seeing significant numbers of people who are more willing to engage with our local contact tracing service after previously appearing to refuse contact from the national service. A familiar voice from a local number can sometimes make all the difference.
"Our role is to speak to them and gather information about the people they may have had close contact with and for how long while infected. The advantage of your local council offering this service should anyone need to isolate is the additional support we can offer to make the process easier.
"Many support services established during the first wave of the pandemic have been providing vital services to residents for almost a year now, so whether it is arranging food or medicine deliveries or simply finding someone to walk the dog, we're here to help people stay home and reduce the risk of spreading the virus to others."
We are among the first local authorities to introduce enhanced contact tracing nationally, and it is anticipated more councils will follow the same model as the fight against Covid-19 continues
Our contact tracing team is consists of 30 full-time and part-time staff and will use a combination of telephone calls, text messages and home visits where necessary to help identify people at risk of catching Covid-19 through close contact with someone already infected and support them in self-isolating.
