Surge in calls to NHS Covid helpline after rules relaxed

CALLS to the coronavirus helpline have soared since Scotland entered phase two of easing lockdown.

The number of people contacting NHS staff for advice about symptoms peaked at 626 last Tuesday, five days after more restrictions were relaxed.

This is a 70 per cent increase on the 369 calls taken on the same day the week before, on June 16, Scottish Government figures show.

On average, there were 398 calls a day to the helpline in the seven days up to June 30. This compares with 367 for the week before, or an increase of 8.4 per cent, and up from 339 two weeks before.

Phase two began on Friday, June 19, with two households able to meet outdoors, in groups of up to eight and with social distancing.

Scots were also permitted to enter someone’s home to use the toilet.

The number of calls to the NHS helpline had been falling, but is now at its highest level since April and early May.

On Monday, call numbers hit a high of 515 – close to May’s peak of 554, on May 4.

Yesterday, ministers said five more positive cases of the virus had been detected across Scotland, with one more death.

But experts warn that there could be a delay in detecting and controlling regional spikes in Covid cases because most tests are being carried out by private companies.

Professor Allyson Pollock, a consultant in public health medicine, said the Scottish Government had ‘failed’ to follow its own guidelines which state that positive tests must be declared to health boards within three working days.

She added: ‘If a positive case is found in the community, that should be referred to the public health teams, but these guidelines are not being followed and it’s really important to ask the Government why. The chain between testing and public health teams has been broken and it means we don’t have good community data to monitor the epidemic – that means a delay in contact tracing.

‘This is partly because GPs were taken out of the chain, so the detection rate we are seesides ing is the tip of the iceberg.’ The rise in calls to the helpline coincides with the incubation period of the virus. Symptoms typically show between seven and 14 days after infection.

A report co-written by Professor Alison Macfarlane, of the University of London, criticises the ‘ad hoc’ test and trace system being used on both of the Border. She said: ‘Anyone getting information has to have a data-sharing agreement, which is quite restricting... directors of public health can’t get full postcodes of the people testing positive. It’s not a useful sort of privacy.

‘It’s all very well announcing how many people have tested positive but if you don’t know how many tests have been carried out, it doesn’t paint a complete picture.’

The Scottish Government said: ‘[Helpline] call volumes varied over the last few months, which may be down to a number of factors – for instance, the recent Test and Protect “door drop” to all households.

‘Public Health Scotland is working with NHS boards to collect clinical information, and data from NHS 24 and primary care hubs on a daily basis. We are not aware of delays in information being passed [on].’

‘Guidelines not being followed’