Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance track and trace operatives are given on contact tracing positivecovid-19 test results from in-patients in hospitals.

When contacting a hospital inpatient, call handlers are first asked to check whether the individual is available to speak with them. If they are, they will proceed with the call as usual. If they are not available, they are advised to ask if they can speak to a next of kin. Any complex contact tracing will be carried out by staff who have already received clinical or public health training and have worked in public health or healthcare, some for many years.