Questions related to NHS Test and Protect: FOI release

Information requested

1. The cost to date of the track and trace scheme
2. The number of tests undertaken to date
3. The cost per test to date

Response

1 & 2. NHS Test and Protect is a complex public health intervention and uses a whole system approach for delivery across NHS Boards, local authorities and other key delivery partners. As spend may be incurred centrally, rather than by individual partners, costs incurred by NHS Boards do not constitute total programme spend. Overall expected costs for this programme include expenditure on testing, contact tracing and support for those isolating.

On 29 September 2020 the Cabinet Secretary for Health announced £1.1 billion in additional funding for NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to meet COVID-19 related costs. A breakdown of the initial provision for Boards included for NHS Test and Protect – as included in this funded package – is set out below. Activities and costs remain under close review and funding to Boards will be revised through the year in line with agreed changes.

Board	Funding (£m)
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	1.6
NHS Borders	0.8
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	0.4
NHS Fife	1.0
NHS Forth Valley	1.0
NHS Grampian	1.7
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	11.8
NHS Highland	1.5
NHS Lanarkshire	4.6
NHS Lothian	2.4
NHS Orkney	0.4
NHS Shetland	0.4
NHS Tayside	1.2
NHS Western Isles	0.2
National Services Scotland	59.6
Public Health Scotland	0.7
Total	89.3

Please note that we don't have information on the cost of Track and Trace for the UK just for Test and Protect in Scotland.

Please see table below for the total number of COVID tests that took place in Scotland dated at the 19th of November.

This information is publicly available at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-daily-data-for-scotland/

COVID-19	Cumulative total
NHS testing
NHS lab tests	995,446
UKG testing
UKG lab tests reported	1,599,712
NHS and UKG tests
Total Tests	2,595,158

3. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information on cost per test to date that you have requested. However, you may wish to contact NHS National Services Scotland at: https://nhsnss.org/contact-us/ who may be able to help you. The reasons why we don’t have the information are explained in the Annex below.

ANNEX
REASONS FOR NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION
The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for because the Scottish Government does not hold the information on the cost of a single COVID 19 test.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.