NHS Highland contact tracers Covid fears as health board insists it moved quickly to address staff concerns

NHS Highland insists it is addressing concerns from coronavirus contact tracers about virus safety measures in their own office.

Based at Larch House at Stoneyfield Business Park in Inverness, dozens of tracers have been working seven days a week to alert thousands of people across the north when they need to self-isolate after being in close proximity with someone who has contracted Covid-19.

But some have voiced fears that arrangements in their own offices are increasing the risk of them catching the virus themselves.

While no outbreak has been confirmed among the team, fears include limited space, making social distancing difficult, the need to pass documentation between different members of staff and the sheer number of shifts clocking on and off at the premises.

Staff who spoke to the Courier but did not want to be named said contact tracers were regularly travelling to work in Inverness from across the Highlands and they would prefer to work from home, but had been told this is not currently possible.

So seriously are the concerns being taken that were publicly aired at an NHS briefing given to Highland Council last week, where Councillor Glynis Campbell Sinclair asked about the issue.

Speaking afterwards, she said: “NHS Highland has a duty of care for all staff involved with the contact tracing and I look forward to an immediate improvement in working conditions for all personnel involved in this critically important cog addressing the transmission of Covid-19.

“What we need is honest and up front dialogue regarding Covid-19 contact tracing team with NHS Highland representatives, this is not the time for platitudes.

"I am rightly concerned and questioned why contact tracing personnel were not afforded the security of working from home. If every other health board can organise this, why can’t NHS Highland?"

In a subsequent email to staff, public health specialists Jenny Wares and Ken Oates and education facilitator Lorraine Murphy told them: “Our immediate focus is on understanding and addressing these concerns and being available to each and every one of you, to understand how you are feeling and what more we can do to support you.”

Separately, chief executive Pamela Dudek said: “As a result of these concerns, further infection control briefings are being given to all shifts every day this week.

“All equipment and workstations are cleaned according to national guidance at the end of each shift and additional cleaning has also been put in place for the whole office building.”

She added the issue of home working was being looked at.

“NHS Highland has adopted an integrated way of working with the contact tracing team, the health protection team and the wider public health teams all working closely and playing their part,” she said.

“This has enabled the seamless and effective management of single cases of Covid-19 and their contacts.

“We will start to trial home working for several experienced contact tracers to learn how best to make this work as part of our model.”

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