https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/busi...d-trace-effort
MPs on the Public Accounts Committee highlighted ineffective performance data and over-reliance on private consultants in a report that questioned the effectiveness and value of the government’s test and trace programme.
In spite of the “unimaginable” sums showered on NHST&T, the PAC concluded: “It is unclear whether its specific contribution to reducing infection levels, as opposed to the other measures introduced to tackle the pandemic has justified its costs.”
The report acknowledged that NHST&T was set up and staffed at incredible speed, but echoed criticisms from a range of stakeholders that the government opted to build a new infrastructure from scratch rather than working more closely with local authorities.
The combination of poor financial oversight and questionable performance makes for depressing reading and contradicts bullish ministerial claims about the UK’s “world beating” test and trace capability. It also calls into question the role that Big Four accountants like Deloitte have played in promoting private sector-led solutions to large-scale public challenges.