3.6 COVID-19 Roles and Responsibilities

NHS Boards should have a COVID-19 outbreak response plan which details the roles and responsibilities of Infection Prevention and Control Teams (IPCTs), Health Protection Teams (HPTs) and Occupational Health Services (OHS) within their board when responding to COVID-19 clusters/incidents. 

3.6.1 Contact tracing responsibilities

The board COVID-19 outbreak response plan should include clarity on the responsible teams for contact tracing.

The COVID-19 Test and Protect service in Scotland ceased on the 1 May 2022 for the general community and as such contact tracing undertaken by public health will focus on outbreaks of COVID-19 associated with closed/high risk settings. 

Contact tracing within acute inpatient settings should be based on local outbreak management and on the advice of the local Infection Control Doctor as per the Hospital Testing table.