Redeployment and employment of 'test and trace' workforce: FOI release

Information requested

1. Of the test and trace workforce, how many were permanently redeployed into the NHS to do other roles?
2. Of the test and trace workforce, how many left NHS employment altogether?
3. A breakdown of the job groups the workforce were redeployed into and, if possible, a breakdown of how many were redeployed to each health board.
4. Confirmation of how many people had been employed as contact tracing workers in total over the period of the pandemic. In other words, the total number of people who worked for NHS contact tracing.

Response

1

I have included a breakdown below of the test and trace workforce that were redeployed into roles within the NHS.

• 1,219 staff were permanently redeployed in to other NHS roles.

In addition, 1,443 staff were on secondment to the test and trace service and have since returned to their substantive roles in the NHS.

2

The Scottish Government hold some of the information requested, of the test and trace workforce 750 staff left NHS employment on their own terms between March and September 2022.

For further information on the test and trace workforce, you may wish to direct your request to Public Health Scotland (PHS) who operate the service. You can find the information on how to submit a request to PHS here: Freedom of Information (FOI) requests

3

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

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information on job groups.

However, I have provided information in Annex A which outlines the breakdown of redeployments from the test and trace workforce to each health board.

4

The total number of staff employed as contact tracers in NHS Scotland, as at March 2022, was 7,500 staff.

In addition to the above, You can also find information regarding the redeployment of contact tracing staff in the letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to the HSCS Convener, 25 January 2023, published on The Scottish Parliament website, here: Redeployment of contact tracing staff to NHS 24

For any further information regarding contact tracing figures, you may wish to direct your request to Public Health Scotland (PHS). You can find the information on how to submit a request to PHS here: Freedom of Information (FOI) requests

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.

202300338656_Annex A

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