Isle of Wight to test NHS contact tracing app this week ahead of nationwide launch
The NHS contact tracing app will eventually be used more widely to map the spread of Covid-19, the Health Secretary said.
4 min read
An NHS contact tracing application that ministers believe will be crucial to lifting the coronavirus lockdown will be tested on the Isle of Wight from Tuesday, Matt Hancock has confirmed.
The Health Secretary said the new “test, track and trace” smartphone app would be rolled out for health workers on the island before a wider push for “all citizens” there to begin using it later this week.
Once up-and-running, the Government wants the app to help trace anyone who may have been in contact with somebody who has tested positive for Covid-19, a move seen as a key part of mapping the outbreak and containing its spread.
Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, Mr Hancock said: “The app, which takes full consideration of privacy and security, has already been tested in closed conditions at an RAF base. And today I can announce the next steps.
“From tomorrow we will begin to pilot 'test, track and trace' on the Isle of Wight starting with health professionals and rolling out this week to all citizens.
“I’m grateful to the huge enthusiasm of islanders who know that by participating in this pilot they’re at the forefront of helping get Britain back on her feet. Where the Isle of Wight goes, Britain follows.”
The Health Secretary said the island’s single NHS trust, one council and “relatively low” number of Covid-19 cases made it the ideal testing ground for a “properly scientifically controlled” trial run of the app “before we roll it out to the rest of the country“.
And he explained: “From tonight, the contact tracing capability will go live, and tomorrow NHS staff on the island will be able to download the app.
“And from Thursday each one of the 80,000 households on the island will get a letter from the chief nurse with comprehensive information about the trial.”
“By downloading the app you’re protecting your own health, you’re protecting the health of your loved ones and the health of your community" - Matt Hancock
Mr Hancock said islanders would be asked to install the app, which will then use bluetooth to log the distance between a users’ phone and other phones nearby who also have the app installed.
“If you become unwell with Covid symptoms you inform the NHS via the app,” he said.
“Other app users who you’ve had significant contact with in the last few days will then be sent an alert by the NHS along with advice about what to do.
“A test ordering function will then be built-in.”
Urging Isle of Wight residents to download the app - whose effectiveness depends on a strong uptake - Mr Hancock said: “If you’re watching this and you live on the Isle of Wight I have a simple message: please download the app to protect the NHS and save lives.
“By downloading the app you’re protecting your own health, you’re protecting the health of your loved ones and the health of your community.”
But the Health Secretary made clear that the new programme would not replace strict lockdown on the Isle of Wight, which will remain in force ahead of a UK-wide review of the curbs on Thursday.
“I want to stress, and this is really important, that this does not mean the end of social distancing on the Isle of Wight or anywhere else, for that matter,” he said.
As part of its “test, track and trace” strategy, the Government is also hoping to recruit an “army” of contact tracers to get in touch with those who may have crossed paths with people with the virus.
Mr Hancock said: "The aim is to have the whole thing up and running by the middle of this month. We’re starting already, we’ve already started the recruitment.
"Of the 18,000 we have thousands already recruited and we’re making very rapid progress.”
'ABSOLUTE TRANSPARENCY' ON DATA
But acting Liberal Democrat Ed Davey called for “absolute transparency when it comes to what information is collected, how long it is stored for, and who has access to this data” as the app is rolled out.
He said: “Mass testing, contact tracing and isolation at the community level for those who test positive is the only safe way out of lockdown.
"While technology can help the tracing work, much of it must inevitably be people-based. Apps like NHSX may help but they carry risks, not least in terms of privacy and efficacy.
“Many will be understandably concerned and, given the sensitivity of data being recorded, it is imperative the Government ensures that any NHSX app meets the highest security and privacy standards.”
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