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Original poster

£37,000,000,000 for still failing test and trace

66 replies

Tilltheend99 · 27/10/2021 09:17

Am I being UR to think that £37,000,000,000 for a system that doesn’t work is unreasonable? Test and trace have just been given top up funds by the government to “…the equivalent of 20% of the entire NHS budget.” Plus ‘consultants’ still being paid £1000 a day.

Just to be clear I think we should have test and trace but that it should work, help to reduce the rate of infections, and cost a hell of a lot less!
metro.co.uk/2021/10/27/test-and-trace-failed-its-main-objective-despite-37-billion-cost-15492287/

OP posts:
Lelliebellieboo · 27/10/2021 10:44

@Santastuckincustoms

Test and trace works in places like Korea where they literally lock you down if you test positive but it's such a waste of money here. If they'd spent that on improving the NHS then we wouldn't be worrying about case numbers anyway!
This is the thing that stands out most of all. We are now 2 years in to this. I haven't seen any substantial effort by the government to actually improve the NHS whatsoever.

Obviously last year, we couldn't just magic doctors and nurses out of thin air. But where have been the campaigns to boost recruitment? To encourage people to study/change careers? To ensure that in three years time, we have more people ready to start their careers within the NHS? Because the NHS has been close to breaking for fucking years.

With the amount of money wasted on T&T, there could have been a monumental overhaul of the NHS and an investment into its staff, really making it a world leading healthcare function.

CorrBlimeyGG · 27/10/2021 10:46

What even is that number? My brain can't comprehend it.

This is why they get away with it, the numbers are so incomprehensible that people don't grasp it. I include myself in that, I know how much a billion is, but spending 37 of them on one failed project is beyond rational belief.

NautaOcts · 27/10/2021 10:48

@poshme

Would you like to start paying for LFT and PCR tests? Where do you think the money for them comes from?
Agree the trace part and the app has been a shambles but my personal experience of the testing regime has been that it’s convenient and efficient
CorrBlimeyGG · 27/10/2021 10:49

But where have been the campaigns to boost recruitment?

They have posters everywhere in our local hospital. But the only people that see them are either already working there, patients or visitors (and only critically ill patients are allowed visitors). Got to be the most pointless campaign ever.

LiquidSodaCrystal · 27/10/2021 10:52

As soon as the government decided to allow Covid to become endemic, T&T was pointless.

They could have used local public health departments to do this well at the beginning.

It was just money laundering basically. Passing tax payers money onto rich people. They are criminals.

Lelliebellieboo · 27/10/2021 10:53

@CorrBlimeyGG

But where have been the campaigns to boost recruitment?

They have posters everywhere in our local hospital. But the only people that see them are either already working there, patients or visitors (and only critically ill patients are allowed visitors). Got to be the most pointless campaign ever.

exactly! and what is a poster going to do? It's an utter waste of time and money
CloudPop · 27/10/2021 10:56

@LiquidSodaCrystal

As soon as the government decided to allow Covid to become endemic, T&T was pointless.

They could have used local public health departments to do this well at the beginning.

It was just money laundering basically. Passing tax payers money onto rich people. They are criminals.

I agree @LiquidSodaCrystal. Literally looting the public purse. And everyone sits by and chuckles at what a lovely chap Boris is.
JustAnotherPoster00 · 27/10/2021 11:02

Lets not forget the removal of the £20 uplift to universal credit, Tory voters and supporters feel more comfortable clearly, plunging more people into poverty just because maybe 1 or 2 people dont deserve it than the wasting of £37 billion on a system that doesnt function, would love someone to come justify that without the usual facile 'iT wAs TeMpOrArY' Hmm

VividGemini · 27/10/2021 11:04

@Calendulaaaaa

Have we tried paying healthcare workers less to help fund it?
They've been doing that to fund their mates for years.
Pandaly · 27/10/2021 11:08

Hopefully they'll get a bit back from that lab that gave people false negatives. Not really sure what the alternative is unless they start charging but that would be a disaster.

tsmainsqueeze · 27/10/2021 11:18

@Lelliebellieboo

The thing that stuns me is that with that amount of money, they could have literally paid people significant sums to stay at home for 2 weeks.

In an utterly theoretical scenario, you could pay 70 million people £1,000 each to isolate at the same time. Therefore, breaking all chains of transmission and it would still be less than the amount of money spent on test and trace.

Obviously there is no way that would ever work because of essentials workers/not allowing society to grind to a halt etc, and I'm not advocating for that approach but it does show up how much has been wasted here!

I totally agree , quite shocking when spelt out as simply as this . The whole thing is a shameful disgrace , especially knowing that probably no one will be held responsible for it . When i think about it its quite scary knowing there is no one trustworthy in the leadership of this country and seemingly no one who could do things any better either .
Original poster
Tilltheend99 · 27/10/2021 11:25

@Lelliebellieboo

The thing that stuns me is that with that amount of money, they could have literally paid people significant sums to stay at home for 2 weeks.

In an utterly theoretical scenario, you could pay 70 million people £1,000 each to isolate at the same time. Therefore, breaking all chains of transmission and it would still be less than the amount of money spent on test and trace.

Obviously there is no way that would ever work because of essentials workers/not allowing society to grind to a halt etc, and I'm not advocating for that approach but it does show up how much has been wasted here!

Good point. That amount of money is mad Confused
OP posts:
Original poster
Tilltheend99 · 27/10/2021 11:34

@LiquidSodaCrystal yeah, I feel at some point someone needs be held legally responsible. Not sure ‘it was a National emergency’ can hold up as an excuse forever.

That footage of Matt Hancock behind the door sums up what most of the cabinet thinks of the general public.

Am also suspicious about how happy Boris is to have the enquiry. I’m guessing he may be well aware of a few people who will be taking the blame…

OP posts:
VladmirsPoutine · 27/10/2021 11:38

But the thing is the tories still have a hold on the polls!

ItsSunnyOutside · 27/10/2021 11:56

@SusieBob

YANBU. It's an astonishing amount of money for a system which barely functions. Let's face it, most of it has gone straight into tory party donor pockets.
Agree.

It's a scandal.

Original poster
Tilltheend99 · 27/10/2021 11:57

Here is another report on the report, this time in the Guardian.

With regards to tests they say:

“Only 14% of 691m lateral flow tests sent out had results reported, and who knows how many took the necessary action based on the results they got, or how many were never used.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/27/nhs-test-and-trace-failed-its-main-objective-says-spending-watchdog

OP posts:
RandomLondoner · 27/10/2021 12:01

The people I'm angry with are the ones who 18 months ago were having a go at the government for not successfully doing test and trace. I suspected that the reason it wasn't being done was because it wasn't possible to do. The government caved in to pressure and threw a lot of money at something they knew probably could not deliver much value.

In my mind the people who are complaining about the waste are the same mob who triggered it in the first place. It's possibly a fallacy that it's always the same people who are complaining about the government, but I suspect not.

Tr3hern3 · 27/10/2021 12:02

My dd is in hospital. Both my husband and I have been on the children’s ward daily. Me the day before I tested positive.I filled in all the Test and Trace details. I’ve heard nothing from them other than repeated texts alerting me to fill in the forms I already have.Confused

1dayatatime · 27/10/2021 12:09

What even is that number? My brain can't comprehend it.

++++

It's 37 billion. So one easy way to get a feel for that figure is that if you put one pound in a jam jar every second (OK this is a very big jam jar!!) then it would take eleven and a half days to reach a million pounds.

To get to £37 billion it would take 1,220 years - ie around 800AD!!!

In short it is truly a lot of money.

1dayatatime · 27/10/2021 12:13

£37 billion on a failed track and trace. By contrast the Government has refused to extend the free school meals during school holidays because it would cost £170 million over three years.

By contrast if you spent the £37 billion instead on free school meals to eligible children during school holidays then it would be enough to cover 650 years.

Florianus · 27/10/2021 12:15

But where have been the campaigns to boost recruitment? To encourage people to study/change careers?

I don't know where the campaigns are, but applications for nursing degrees are up 16% this year, while applications to read medicine at UK universities for entry in 2021 was up 20.9% compared to applications for entry in 2020.

The trouble is, it will be some years (especially for doctors) before the NHS benefits from this.

bevelino · 27/10/2021 12:15

@CorrBlimeyGG

What even is that number? My brain can't comprehend it.

This is why they get away with it, the numbers are so incomprehensible that people don't grasp it. I include myself in that, I know how much a billion is, but spending 37 of them on one failed project is beyond rational belief.

This

How is it possible to spend that sort of money in such a short space of time. It has all the features of a massive and scandalous fraud.

1dayatatime · 27/10/2021 12:20

@Aqua55

This is what the majority of the country wanted
Sadly this is very true but conveniently forgotten about by the many who supported it at the time.
baroqueandblue · 27/10/2021 12:33

In my mind the people who are complaining about the waste are the same mob who triggered it in the first place. It's possibly a fallacy that it's always the same people who are complaining about the government, but I suspect not.

You can be as nasty as you like, it doesn't change the shameful facts, or take away the overwhelming stench of bullshit.

SummerHouse · 27/10/2021 13:51

@1dayatatime

What even is that number? My brain can't comprehend it.

++++

It's 37 billion. So one easy way to get a feel for that figure is that if you put one pound in a jam jar every second (OK this is a very big jam jar!!) then it would take eleven and a half days to reach a million pounds.

To get to £37 billion it would take 1,220 years - ie around 800AD!!!

In short it is truly a lot of money.

Holy lord. I think I was better off not comprehending the number. 🤯