That head of the new coronavirus testing system ? Baroness Harding ?

[cyril evans awaydays]

I listened to Dido Harding and her colleagues being scrutinised by the Select Committee this afternoon. I'm no fan of the test and trace arrangements which have failed miserably but I have some sympathy with the issues they face. When you hear about the hurdles the test and trace people had to jump in order to set up the system such as developing a diagnostic industry from virtually nothing, coupled with Hancock announcing targets which he must have known could not be met, it's no wonder test and trace is the shambles it is. I shudder to think how they will achieve 500,000 tests per day when there is no capacity in the laboratories or trained staff to analyse the tests but I guess this will be another target that will not be met. You have to wonder whether test and trace are being set up to fail so the government will have someone else to blame for failure. The government would be far better off not announcing targets they must know will fail leading to even more criticism later on.

No doubt many on here will believe that if Labour were in charge things would go better but somehow I doubt it as the same practical difficulties would be faced but it's possible the messaging would be better as it could hardly be worse. I'm not going to reply to any further posts on this subject so don't bother having a go at me as everyone is entitled to their views even if they are not die hard Labour supporters.

My biggest gripe with all of this is not the scale of the challenge but the hype in response. We don't have problematic peaks and troughs of supply and demand for something set up from scratch. We have from the outset a world leading service. One minute the app is at its centre...the next it is the icing on the cake.

Targets are met for a day to meet Ministerial pronouncements then days later dwindle back to what they were before the self-imposed deadline. Performance indicators appear and disappear on political whim rather than informing us on where we are.

NHS Test and Trace was set up with Dido Harding as its head to report directly to the Prime Minister, not the Health Secretary. Since Public Health England has been scapegoated she has been rewarded for her efforts by becoming the Head of the National Institute for Health Protection which absorbs and amalgamates PHE and NHS Test and Trace.

Now running any of the existing bodies at a time of crisis could be overwhelming. Yet this government, in its haste to find a patsy in PHE decided to blow up the institutions in place and elevate and distract an already flawed leader like Dido Harding from her focus on ensuring adequate testing to similtaneously oversee and lead massive cultural changes in the machinery of government. It's not messaging it's how you best focus your resources to the biggest problem you anticipate you will face.