Farcical Test and Trace call

[NameChangerDanger]

DD has today tested positive for Covid.

NHS Test and Trace rang and it went something like this:

T&T: Hello, can I speak to DD?
Me: DD is 6, I am her mother
T&T: This is NHS T&T bla bla bla. I’m going to ask you to tell me about DD’s contacts. [Asks for DD’s details, confirms isolation period]
Me: Okay. No problem.
T&T: Are you responsible for this person?
Me: Yes
T&T: and were they born after 2003?
Me: Yes
T&T: and when did they last see DD?
Me: Sorry, who? I thought we were taking about DD?
T&T: Oh. We’ve done it wrong. Can you confirm her school’s postcode and when she was last there?
Me: [gives details]
T&T: Thank you. If you have any queries visit //www.blabla.com. Thank you for your time.
Me: Sorry? You’ve not asked me about her contacts?
T&T: It won’t let me go any further. You’ll get another call.
Me: Right…
T&T: Thanks. Bye.

All this was interspersed with very long silences and lots of tapping. Ridiculous!

Any better for anyone else?

[RoRoYoYo]

Can anyone explain why test and trace aren't interested in contacts the day before a positive LFT?! DD had a positive LFT on Monday followed by a positive PCR on Tuesday. All they were interested in were contacts from Monday onwards. I did tell the tracer that we had had friends staying with us for the weekend but they didn't want to know about them! It seems ridiculous. I would have thought she'd have been infectious on the Sunday. (We have obviously let our friends know!)

[Underparmummy]

@Calmestofallthechickens

I had a phone call a while ago about my son, age 2. We did all the expected questions, gave the contact number and address of his nursery (in London, where we live), etc.
Then the last question was ‘does he work in Birmingham?’

Hilarious! The track and trace anecdote to end all track and trace anecdotes.

[GypsyWanderer]

The first time we dealt with test and trace it was pretty straight forward. However I’ve just got off the phone to them and realised they’ve given DS16 12 days of isolation! They’ve dated it from the PCR results which is today, not the symptom/lft test date which was Monday. I thought they to go by the date of positive lft or symptoms?

Also I got loads of texts worded differently than before. Saying unless exempt we have to isolate (we’re double jabbed so I guess we’re exempt but she never asked me if I was jabbed) and that they will be checking me regularly to make sure I’m self isolating! They sent me a text for DH too because they never asked for his number. Not looking forward to the other 2 kids who have positive lft’s and we’re waiting on pcr’s to confirm.

[Whywhywhy48]

@halloweenie13

I think you need to be a bit kinder, they are mass hiring currently, I was formerly a team leader for the service and we were only allowed to give them around 3 days of training a day of which is just compliance testing and hr stuff, they are overworked and underappreciated and left to figure out the scripts on their own then shouted at when anyone does anything wrong by the management and compliance teams. Honestly the information you need to try and learn in 3 days is ridiculous and then it is constantly changing through government guidance so one day you might have to ask certain questions then the next we weren't permitted but wouldn't be told. Also a lot of them do the 2 days of looking at info then are thrown straight into call taking without actually seeing the script because it doesn't show on the system until you begin.

Totally agree with you! Government training is rubbish what ever department you work in.

[NameChangerDanger]

Things got really fun today!

DH had an unclear lateral flow yesterday (translucent line), so off he went for a PCR and we have been isolating from each other.

This morning he got a text and e-mail saying he’d had a “positive test”. Noooo! DH and DD shut themselves away together, I rearranged my work so I could go to other DD’s nativity in place of DH. I was feeling thoroughly miserable about the next 10 days and told several friends/family the news.

Then 2 hours later, another saying his “PCR test” was negative.

We have now confirmed that the positive message referred the LFT he had reported. It would have been helpful if it had said LFT in the message!!

I’ve since had to call the school and let my friends and family know that DH is not actually breaking the law if they seem him out and about!

[NameChangerDanger]

The rate at which it spreads is significant though. We do not want the NHS overwhelmed (I certainly don’t, I’m on the inside). A lot of the decisions that come next are likely to depend on the hospitalisation rate of Omicron.

Having said that, the likelihood is people are most infectious just before they develop symptoms, and lots won’t be symptomatic, so we can’t expect it to be a perfect system. That’s why LFTs are so important. DD’s didn’t come up positive until day 2 of symptoms though.

[Costumeidea]

We have had no call about DD who tested positive on Tuesday. Received a text from them basically saying it’s been a few days since you tested positive. Make sure you keep isolating and people in your house isolate for 10 days too (which is outdated advice, as we are both double vaccinated). That’s it!

[Lineeyes1986]

I had a similar ridiculous call. Was calling because I’d been in close contact with someone but hadn’t created an account to get a test. This is because I had already tested positive myself and was isolating. Unfortunately he could not deviate from his script and therefore the conversation was utterly pointless, very frustrating and somewhat laughable. It was like talking to a robot

[JingleJangler]

I do not understand the point of all this if this new omnicrumb variant is as infectious as they think. It is going to get everywhere and it is foolish to think otherwise.

[NameChangerDanger]

I relayed all this to DH last night. He said I should have just put DD on the phone, as they asked. Wish I had now!

[NameChangerDanger]

[quote Needcoffeecoffeecoffee]@NameChangerDanger I'm just thinking about your comments. Donyou think when everyone is feeling better and you have a moment you could email the council with those nice comments? My friend is a local contact tracer and they work hard to help people as you say they know the area but she gets so much abuse from people who have dealt with the national team or who disagree with government policy If someone emailed to say she has been helpful and the team supportive it would make her day[/quote]
Yep, I could definitely do that.

I did thank her over the phone and told her that it had been a refreshing conversation.

[GreenLunchBox]

So who are these consultants that are getting paid thousands a day?

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

This is why I told DH not to give them my contact details if he tested positive! I’m sorry but I’d struggle to be polite!

[Whattochoosenow]

By the time they phoned about my DS he only had 1 day of his isolation to go. None of the rest of us had any communication from track and trace.

[Needcoffeecoffeecoffee]

@NameChangerDanger I'm just thinking about your comments. Donyou think when everyone is feeling better and you have a moment you could email the council with those nice comments? My friend is a local contact tracer and they work hard to help people as you say they know the area but she gets so much abuse from people who have dealt with the national team or who disagree with government policy If someone emailed to say she has been helpful and the team supportive it would make her day

[NameChangerDanger]

The Council did actually want contacts’ names, post codes and numbers. They were just accepting of the fact I couldn’t provide these for DD’s entire school class and her swimming and skating classes.

I think it being someone local helped with the places bit. They knew the places I was listing, so there was no post code searching. I did have that with the original T&T’er in regards to DD’s school. I could give them the full address but didn’t know the post code. Apparently that wasn’t good enough and I had to wrestle the iPad off poorly DD.

[Giveaschitt]

To be fair, even if they'd 'done it right' they wouldn't have really asked you for your contacts. With DS they also asked to speak to him (also 6!) and then just asked for the address of his school, where he'd been (childminder and beavers) and just asked for the address of those - they didn't ask for names or contact details of them at all (and didn't contact them). The only names/contacts they asked for were those in our house - so I then got a text from them telling me that I had been identified as close contact.. We did then spend forever going through all the places we'd been in the week before - and insisting I provided addresses of shops, coffee shops etc., so I was sat trying to Google them on my phone while they were presumably sat at a computer waiting for me to finish tracking down the address of the local Costa...

[NameChangerDanger]

I think you need to be a bit kinder

I was perfectly nice to the call handler. I’m just astonished at the system!

I’ve just had the call from the Council. The lady was absolutely lovely. Very pragmatic- no chasing me for details I just don’t have. They also said they’d heard lots of strange stories about T&T calls.

One strange thing is that I’ve just had e-mails through for the rest of us. My other DD and my husband’s categorically state they don’t need to isolate (one is 4, the other double vaccinated, so fine). Mine says I need to isolate unless exempt. I’m double vaccinated and boosted.

[liveforsummer]

Ha, reminds me of the tome around this time last year when I called to chase my PCR results.

Me - I really need to get back to work if possible, when can I expect these results

Call Handler - well it makes no difference, you'll need to isolate for the full 10 days anyway

Me - no I won't, I'm not isolating as a collar contact, I took a test as I felt a bit unwell

CH - but you still need to isolate for the full 10 days

Me - no I don't, not if I get a negative result, I'm not a close contact

CH - you need to check the NHS website

Me - I have, it seats you can return to work if you receive a negative test

CH - Go on the website, the information is there

Me - I think you need to check the website

CH - look take it up with the government, I don't make the rules.

Me - I don't have a problem with the government, I have a problem with you giving out incorrect information instead of chasing my test results

This went round in circles a few times before I got so crossed I hung up. I never got my test results but a later antibody test showed I had not had covid. How they can employ such incompetent idiots I'll never know. The man also sounded so bored the whole time and yawned through the phone call. Couldn't find any way to make a complaint

[toomanypillows]

My DS (12) had Covid in September, confirmed with PCR test and duly registered. He isolated for 10 days, but we didn't get a single phone call. Friends were warning me to expect "the call" but it never came.
I really don't know why, because they seem to harangue other people.

[underneaththeash]

My favourite question was.
Has DS been in contact with someone with coronavirus?
Well err yes, that's how he contracted it!

[User63896578]

This is why many people aren't testing

[User63896578]

@halloweenie13

I think you need to be a bit kinder, they are mass hiring currently, I was formerly a team leader for the service and we were only allowed to give them around 3 days of training a day of which is just compliance testing and hr stuff, they are overworked and underappreciated and left to figure out the scripts on their own then shouted at when anyone does anything wrong by the management and compliance teams. Honestly the information you need to try and learn in 3 days is ridiculous and then it is constantly changing through government guidance so one day you might have to ask certain questions then the next we weren't permitted but wouldn't be told. Also a lot of them do the 2 days of looking at info then are thrown straight into call taking without actually seeing the script because it doesn't show on the system until you begin.

Surely we are not going to have a load more of these inflicted on us.

[FabricedeSauveterre]

Wait until you get the council call! Mine came to my house and then I had an hour interrogation, had to check bus numbers and times of arrival and i was googling postcode of a restaurant we’d been in in London 10 days ago. VERY thorough

[PhilCornwall1]

My OH had a call about our youngest, seemed to be be something like:

T&T: can you give me the names and addresses of everyone he has been in contact with?
OH: No, he's been at school, so we don't know who they are.
T&T: can we pass his details on to the local authority.
OH: No
T&T: would you like to end this call?
OH: Yes
T&T: Ok

Not heard from them since.