COVID-19: Isle of Wight test, track and trace app launched giving care workers more 'confidence'

Starting from today, all residents on the Isle of Wight can download and use the official COVID-19 contact tracing app.

For many care workers, the app which can be downloaded onto smartphone will bring confidence and reassurance while they visit vulnerable and elderly clients.

’These are extraordinary times and we have to give everything a chance to work’

Manager Michele Sherwin-Beath from Apex Prime Care Isle of Wight told homecare.co.uk: “I feel more confident and I think it is going to put staff’s minds at ease a bit knowing they are going to be alerted if they have been in the vicinity of somebody.

"Downloading the app was easy," says Ms Sherwin-Beath. “I downloaded the app last night. The information was less than what you have to give Amazon. I know some people on the island won’t download it for fear of Big Brother watching them and they can’t see the good side of it but I can only speak for myself and I think it is a good thing for care workers out in the community."

Ms Sherwin-Beath is confident all her staff will download the app: “My staff can go shopping three times in a day for three different clients, so they are putting themselves a risk. They cannot be tested unless they have symptoms so it has been a great concern to them throughout. It is a brilliant thing and is making my staff feel more confident. Anything that will help keep them safe, I’m all for it.”

Once the app has been downloaded to a smartphone, the user will submit the first part of their postcode to enable both notifications. The app runs in the background so does not need to be open all the time.

Each device is given a random ID – the data cannot be used to identify any specific individual and no other data is stored. Bluetooth is used to communicate with other phones nearby.

If the person later develop symptoms of coronavirus the non-traceable data will be uploaded to the NHS’s servers after completing a step-by-step process. Users who are deemed likely of having COVID-19 are then given a reference number and a telephone number to call to request a swab test.

Swab tests will be delivered directly to Isle of Wight households by local drivers and collected the next day. These tests should arrive within 24 hours of the request and will be sent off to labs for analysis.

'This app will play a vital role in getting Britain back on her feet'

Maggie Oldham, chief executive at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said: "Our community’s response to coronavirus has been fantastic and I want to say thank you for everything they have done to protect the NHS and to save lives.

"It is good news for the island that we have been chosen as the first site in the UK for this app, we can protect local people and play an important role in the national effort to beat coronavirus."

One concern raised is the elderly who do not have a smartphone or the technology to download the app. Ms Sherwin-Beath said: “It could come a point where there could be something installed in their house. If they have people coming in, it will tell them they have symptoms or alert that person or their family.

“These are extraordinary times and we have to give everything a chance to work.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The Isle of Wight is playing a vital role with this pioneering work to help keep Britain safe. This will pave the way for a nationwide roll-out when the time is right.

“Coronavirus is one of the greatest challenges our country has ever faced and this app will play a vital role in getting Britain back on her feet.

“The app will help control the spread of coronavirus by alerting people they may have come into contact with it and recommending appropriate action.”

If the trial is successful, the app will be rolled out to the rest of the UK.