A drive to recruit for a specialist contact tracing team tasked with containing coronavirus in Scotland is under way.
NHS Scotland is advertising for a number of roles on its Covid-19 tracing team, which will be tasked with stopping the spread of the disease throughout communities across the country.
Last week the Scottish Government revealed that a “test, trace, isolate, support” strategy was being deployed across the country as a way of managing the transition out of lockdown.
The public health measure is aimed at stamping out transmission of the deadly virus in communities.
Under the strategy, people who may have become infected with Covid-19 are traced and supported through self-isolation in order to stop further spread.
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Announcing the programme last week, the Scottish Government said up to 2000 additional contact tracing staff would be required to make the service sustainable across the country.
The NHS’s Covid-19 tracing team is now recruiting for a number of roles including: call handlers, call supervisors, health protection nurses, data analysts, admin assistants and public health consultants.
An advert placed in Hijobs states the contact tracing team will be in place “for as long as is required”.
The roles are listed as full-time but temporary and with “competitive NHS pay and benefits”.
Under the new programme, those who develop coronavirus symptoms are expected to be given access to testing.
The “test, trace, isolate, support” initiative will go hand-in-hand with social distancing and other measures as the country adjusts to life post-lockdown.
A Scottish Government document on the strategy stated: “Contact tracers are more than simple data gatherers. Through their discussions with cases and contacts they must conduct careful risk assessment and provide active support.
“Local teams will provide this specialist support where it is required, and additional staff with relevant skills are already being brought into these teams, for example from other NHS services, and local authority environmental health teams.
“These local teams will be supported by a national contact tracing support service which will undertake the routine work.
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“In total we anticipate that up to 2,000 additional contact tracing staff will be required to deliver a sustainable service across Scotland depending on factors such as the number of cases and the typical number of close contacts.
“Our Covid-19 contact tracing services will be in place for as long as is required.
“Contact tracing will be scaled up and enhanced in a flexible and iterative way, which meets the needs of local areas.
“NHS boards are already planning their Covid-19 contact tracing services, with some oards already undertaking some contact tracing.
“This work is already underway and we intend for all boards to have arrangements in place to deliver enhanced Covid-19 contact tracing by the end of May 2020.”
People have until May 22 to apply.
