A locally based Covid-19 contact tracing system is being launched this week in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Royal Borough staff will operate the service, calling residents who have tested positive for Covid-19 but have not been successfully contacted within 24 hours by the national NHS Test and Trace service.

They will ask residents to identify anyone who has had close contact with them during the time they were infectious, as these contacts may need to self-isolate. 

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Councillor Stuart Carroll, the council's lead member for adult social care, children’s services, health and mental health, says: “We hope that this service will help reduce further transmission in the community by having local people with local knowledge speaking to our residents.

“If you do get a call from the team please do help as we want to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in our community. This is another vital tool that the borough is using to respond to the pandemic.

“We need to ensure we follow the data, stop the spread and support local businesses. By engaging with these calls, it will help to stop the spread in our community.”

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Local contact tracers will use data provided by the NHS Test and Trace service to contact residents. The staff have received thorough training which includes in-depth data protection modules to ensure all residents’ details are safe, secure and confidential and not shared inappropriately or without permission.

Residents contacted by the local service will be provided with information on local support services available to them.

The contact tracers will leave you a voicemail or text message if they cannot reach the person they want to talk to.

For more information on the Local Contact Tracing Service please visit our website: www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/adult-social-care/community-response/test-and-trace-local-contact-tracing-service.