Coronavirus: £1.3m for St Helens to support Test and Trace

Working with local NHS and other stakeholders, the council will use the cash to develop a tailored outbreak control plan.

The money is part of £300 million additional funding for local authorities in England to support the government’s Test and Trace Service.

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The plan will focus on identifying and containing potential outbreaks in places such as workplaces, housing complexes, care homes and schools.

Work will be led by local authority leaders and the local director of Public Health, and will build on the work done to date to respond to the pandemic.

Sue Forster, St Helens Borough Council’s director of Public Health, said: “We have always had robust outbreak management systems in place, which are being reviewed in partnership between the local Public Health team and Public Health England in response to COVID-19.

“We also have plans in place for managing outbreaks in particularly vulnerable communities and complex settings.

“Local Public Health teams alongside environmental health officers, sexual health nurses, and infection control nurses are ensuring that we provide a robust service and system for all residents.

“The announcement of the funding allocations for local authorities, with St Helens borough set to receive £1.3 million, will help us to develop a long-term, sustainable solution for tracing and consequence management over two years, supporting Public Health England.”

Sue Forster, St Helens Borough Council’s director of Public Health

As part of this work, local authorities will also need to ensure testing capacity is deployed effectively to high-risk locations.

Councils will work closely with the Test and Trace service, local NHS and other partners to achieve this.

Local efforts will support the national rollout of the Test and Trace service, which has come under increasing criticism and is still without a key contact-tracing app.

Data on the virus’ spread will be shared with local authorities through the Joint Biosecurity Centre to inform local outbreak planning, so teams understand how the virus is moving, working with national government where necessary to access the testing and tracing capabilities of the new service.

Local communities, organisations and individuals will also be encouraged to follow government guidance and assist those self-isolating in their area who need help.

This will include encouraging neighbours to offer support and identifying and working with relevant community groups.

In recent week, the number of new infections has continued to slow, indicating that the virus is petering out in St Helens.

Public Health England figures as of Tuesday show that, since the outbreak began in mid-March, 760 people in St Helens have tested positive for COVID-19.

The was up by one from 759 the same time on Monday and is two fewer than a week earlier.

The number of deaths linked to coronavirus recorded by St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have also continued to fall.

In the week leading up to June 15, three deaths linked to coronavirus occurred in hospitals managed by trust, which run Whiston, St Helens and Newton hospitals.

However, this number could rise over the coming days due to a lag in the reporting process.

The previous week, between June 2 and 9, six deaths are known to have occurred at the trust, according to the NHS figures.

Since the start of the outbreak, 204 people have died at the trust’s hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.

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The number of deaths in the St Helens’ care homes has also tailed off, with 76 deaths linked to COVID-19 to date.

While recent trends in St Helens continue to be encouraging, Public Health chiefs are still urging people to stay home where possible, follow strict social distancing measures (maintaining 2 metre distance) and wash your hands regularly.

All of the latest advice can be found at gov.uk/coronavirus