Don't renew the private contact tracing contracts

The privatisation of Test and Trace isn't working. We don't have much time to fix it before winter.

We found out yesterday that the contracts for contact tracing are set to be renewed this Sunday for another 8 weeks.

Tell Matt Hancock that we, the public, want local, public health teams leading on track and trace.

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Dear Matt Hancock,
All across the UK, local communities are seeing a large upsurge in cases of coronavirus. We could be on track for one of the most difficult winters we have ever seen. 
Your actions in the coming weeks and months will either save lives or put communities and families at risk of further heartbreak and grief. The remote call centre operation isn’t working nearly as effectively as operations led by local and regional public health teams. The <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/private-firm-serco-subcontracting-almost-all-its-contact-tracing-operation_uk_5f1708aec5b651977c071c06">public strongly want</a> local public health and health services to do contact tracing, instead of private outsourcing companies.
I found out yesterday that the contracts for contact tracing are<a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/pressure-mounts-to-scrap-failed-contact-tracing-contracts-as-renewal-looms/"> set to be renewed</a> for another 8 weeks this Sunday.
I’m writing to you today to ask that you please, instead of renewing the contracts with failing, <a href="https://weownit.org.uk/save-lives-scrap-serco-now">dangerous</a> private companies on Sunday, give the funding and powers to local public health teams and local authorities so they can lead on track and trace in the community.
The evidence makes clear again and again that it is local government and public health protection teams who are doing contact tracing work most effectively and keeping our communities safe. 
To renew their contracts again would be to make a mockery of England. Other countries, like Germany have been <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2522">praised for revitalising their public health teams</a> and empowering them to lead. Scotland, and Wales have opted for regional public health teams leading on contact tracing, and a director of Public Health in Wales <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/f0be6eaa-c512-4006-b4dd-e5e0ed2c0ce1">credited this</a> on the successful handling of an outbreak. NHS test and trace data has shown the repeated failures of the private companies, who have only reached 61% of close contacts on average since Test and Trace launched (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-test-and-trace-england-and-coronavirus-testing-uk-statistics-17-september-to-23-september-2020">NHS Test and Trace statistics 28 May to 23 September 2020: Table 13</a>).
Local health protection teams have reached 97% of close contacts on average. This backs up polling which shows that 40% of the public are less likely to take part in the programme as a result of it being managed by a<a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/almost-half-dont-trust-serco-22215235"> private outsourcing company</a>.
Local authorities, health protection teams and health services staff know their communities and have years of expertise in contact tracing. £10 billion of funding has been allocated to the Test and Trace Service nationally, yet local governments have only been provided with £300m.
Ahead of this winter, for my community and my family, please stop this atrocious waste of public money and give local authorities and public health teams the resources they need to scale up the work they’re already doing well on contact tracing.

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