The government is considering an opt-out for NHS staff from having to self-isolate if they are “pinged” by the Covid app, Downing Street has said.
Health service chiefs have said they expect “real pressure” on staffing levels as increasing numbers of people are identified by the app as possible contacts of coronavirus sufferers.
NHS Providers, the membership organisation for NHS hospitals, said “something is going to have to give”, as app contact alerts soared to a record 350,000 in England alone in the last week of June.
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, told The Independent: “We think NHS staff should be able to carry on working even if they are pinged by the app – so long as they are double vaccinated.
“The government should bring that in as soon as possible. I can’t see any reason to delay. NHS trusts are struggling with the number of staff having to isolate – anecdotally we’re seeing significant numbers off.”
Ms Cordery said some staff have even deleted the app to avoid being forced into quarantine. “We’ve picked up on the fact some staff are deleting the app, but it’s not happening on a big, widespread scale at this point.”
Medical staff are already exempted from self-isolating if they are “pinged” after coming into contact with a Covid patient while wearing appropriate protective gear at work.
But asked if this exemption could be extended for NHS staff to cover all contacts either in or outside the workplace, a Downing Street spokesman said: “That is something we are looking at ahead of Step 4.”
There are fears of staff shortages not only in healthcare but also transport, retail and hospitality as infections rise to an expected daily level of 100,000, potentially meaning that millions of people have to remain at home for 10 days of isolation.
UK Health Security Agency boss Jenny Harries revealed on Thursday that the smartphone software could be made less sensitive in order to reduce the volume of self-isolation instructions.
Boris Johnson is expected to announce on Monday that the fourth and final step in removal of coronavirus restrictions will take place in England on 19 July.
But the end of self-isolation for children and double-vaccinated adults identified as contacts will not come into effect until 16 August.
Mr Johnson did not dispute calculations that this could result in as many as 3.5 million Britons a week being contacted by the smartphone app and told to isolate.
While it is a legal requirement to self-isolate if contact direct by the NHS Test and Trace service, requests from the app are not mandatory.
But the No 10 spokesperson said the prime minister was urging people to continue to comply with the app’s instructions. “The PM has been clear that he continues to use it and a large number of the population continue to use the app,” said the spokesperson.
“It has been an important tool in getting people to isolate and break the chain of transmission since we launched it earlier in the pandemic.”
Asked whether the government had undertaken modelling of the potential impact on society of millions of self-isolation instructions, the spokesperson said: “We continue to look at the best scientific evidence and data. We of course are aware of the impact that self-isolation has had on people and businesses.”
Despite Mr Johnson’s “now or never” message on Monday, when he said that any further delay to step 4 might mean lockdown restrictions being extended into 2022, Downing Street insisted that the prime minister will be guided by the science when giving the final green light to so-called “Freedom Day”.
The PM will continue to receive the latest data over the weekend, which will be assessed against the government’s four tests before cabinet decides whether to approve the 19 July reopening on Monday, said the spokesperson.
