Deloitte’s support for the NHS Test and Trace Programme

This week’s sudden shift in government guidance from return to the office to stay at home shows just how precarious the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic will be.

The government has been clear that rising COVID-19 infection levels across the country have necessitated this retreat from a slow return to normality, and has reinforced the importance of reliable systems of track and trace, and of course testing.

Testing is a monumental project of critical national importance, and has quite rightly drawn considerable scrutiny in the media and in parliament. My firm is one of many private sector companies that have been playing key roles in the NHS Test and Trace Programme.

There has been a lot of criticism amid the varied challenges the Programme has faced since its establishment in the midst of the crisis, and I want to provide important insight into Deloitte’s role, particularly in relation to testing, and examine the rationale of why the private and public sectors should collaborate on national endeavours.

What has Deloitte’s role been in the NHS Test and Trace Programme?

The expansion of the NHS Test and Trace Programme is at the heart of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March, Deloitte stepped up to support the creation of the testing programme as the majority of the country was heading into lockdown. Creating this testing programme from a standing start was like building an organisation the size of the BBC in just a matter of days.

Forty public and private sector companies are now supporting the programme, with over 30,000 people across 75 drive through test sites and 118 walk through sites helping run the programme and processing millions of tests per week. The UK is now testing more per capita than most major countries in Western Europe.

Supporting the testing programme requires a huge technological, logistical and planning infrastructure. While many think Deloitte is just a firm of accountants, people from across our firm with expertise in supply chains, logistics, real estate, procurement and project management have been involved in supporting NHS Test and Trace to respond to this public health crisis. 

We created the supply chain infrastructure for testing kits – finding manufacturers, warehouses and couriers. We advised on discussions with landlords, local authorities and NHS bodies to get the test sites approved and ready. We designed and built the online booking system for tests in just three weeks. This portal handles more orders per day than most major retailers and links up the public, courier firms, the testing sites, the labs and the NHS. We’re not involved in any of the day-to-day operations, for example, running test sites or labs, nor do we handle reporting of test results to patients or public health bodies.

Private vs Public

The role of the private sector in public services always drives debate and discussion. During this crisis, government departments have faced an unparalleled range of challenges. Using resources from the private sector has allowed them to focus on making the critical decisions needed for the UK’s crisis response.

There is a wealth of talent in the private sector, with a vast amount of expertise in the areas that will be critical to our country’s recovery: the digital transformations needed to help us work remotely, the logistical, operational and procurement skills to rebuild supply chains, the project management capabilities to roll out financial stimulus packages, the scale to set up clinical trials. 

Playing our part

There will always be major challenges with something this complex and unprecedented, with many people performing under pressure and within incredibly tight timeframes.

Despite the criticism we face, I don’t believe business should step away from supporting government projects where there is a pressing need for a different range of skills, experience and capacity. This means accepting the scrutiny and being agile enough to adapt what we do and how we do it so that we can best support the nation’s response to this pandemic.

A reliable testing regime is central to the public’s confidence and their ability to get back to offices and schools, and to protect our health services. We’re committed to helping make that a reality.