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* Number of contact tracers to drop by 6,000
* Greater role for local authorities and health teams
* National scheme criticised for reaching too few contacts
* UK has highest cumulative COVID death toll in Europe
(Recasts, adds details, context)
By Estelle Shirbon
LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - England's COVID-19 Test and Trace
scheme is to become more locally targeted, the government said
on Monday, after data suggested it was not reaching as many
contacts of infected people as needed to avoid a second wave of
infections.
Launched in late May, the scheme jointly operated by the
National Health Service (NHS) and private contractors Serco and
Sitel has had setbacks ranging from scrapping a promised
homegrown mobile app to reports of contact tracers with nothing
to do.
The scheme will lose 6,000 people on Aug. 24, out of a total
of 18,000 currently employed by Serco and Sitel to call people
who have tested positive for COVID-19 and trace anyone with whom
they have been in recent contact.
"As the approach becomes more locally targeted the national
service will adjust. NHS Test and Trace will reduce current
extra capacity and reduce the number of non-NHS call handlers,"
the health ministry said in a statement.
The new approach will give more responsibility to local
authorities and public health teams to track people down, with
back-up from teams from the national scheme who will be
allocated specific local areas to work on.
"If the dedicated national team cannot make contact with a
resident within a set period of time, the local public health
officials can use the data provided by NHS Test and Trace to
follow up," the health ministry said.
The scheme had been criticised by some in the medical and
scientific communities for relying too much on contact tracers
hired at speed by the private firms and given basic training, as
opposed to experienced public health teams with local knowledge.
Last week, a scientific report warned that Britain risked a
second wave twice as large as the initial outbreak if it went
ahead with plans to reopen schools full-time in September
without improving the Test and Trace scheme.
The latest data shows that between Aug. 23 and 29, contact
tracers reached just under 80% of people referred to the system
after a positive test, and just under 80% of those provided
recent contacts.
Of the 19,150 people who were identified as recent close
contacts of infected people, 72% were reached, down from 76% in
the previous week.
The scheme covers England, which accounts for about 85% of
the UK population. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the
health systems are run by semi-autonomous governments.
More than 46,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United
Kingdom, the highest death toll in Europe.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
