Covid vaccine rollout must not involve private firms, Unison warns government

The government has been urged not to use private firms in its rollout of any future coronavirus vaccine amid criticism of Westminster’s reliance on outsourcing throughout the pandemic.

Outsourcing firms including Serco have taken on key roles in the government’s coronavirus response since the beginnings of the UK’s outbreak - from car park test centres to the test and trace system marketed under the NHS.

The private companies have particularly come under fire amid claims of inefficiency, with latest figures saying only 62.6 per cent of close contacts of people who tested positive for the virus in England were reached through the test and trace system in the week ending 7 October.

Now trade union Unison has urged Downing Street to ensure any vaccine roll out is conducted by NHS and other public bodies.

Officials said it was vital that any vaccination programme is delivered and supervised by healthcare professionals.

The UK is currently among the nations leading vaccine production, with phase three trials at the University of Oxford “going incredibly well” and moving “at pace” according to the research’s director Professor Andrew Pollard.

Unison’s head of health Sara Gorton said: “The Government’s use of private companies to run test and trace has been a disaster. Any more mistakes on that scale will simply allow the virus to continue to spread.

“Ministers can’t fail the nation again, they must do things differently and keep any programme within the NHS and public health bodies.

“The public needs total confidence that any vaccine is going to be safely given, and any follow-up managed properly by the NHS.

“At the start of the pandemic, thousands of ex-health workers offered to come back to the NHS and help in its hour of need. But some were never contacted.

“Now is the time to ensure their expertise is put to good use in administering any vaccine. The Government should be planning for this now to avoid any repeat of the test and trace shambles.”

It comes after ministers were called on to explain why some track and trace consultants were earning more than £7,000 a day despite failures in the programme

According to Sky News, consultants from the Boston Consulting Group were earning a rate equivalent to an annual salary of around £1.5 million - prompting anger from opposition MPs.

Labour’s Toby Perkins said “You won’t find dedicated public servants being paid £7,500 per day, you won’t find them on £1.5m, but what you will find is a basic competence, a knowledge of their area, a desire to make sure that the systems work before they are implemented”.

Responding to the report, a Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “To build the largest diagnostic network in British history, it requires us to work with both public and private sector partners with the specialist skills and experience we need.

“Every pound spent is contributing towards our efforts to keep people safe as we ramp up testing capacity to 500,000 tests a day by the end of October.”