Contact Tracing

headtheball14

Gael23 wrote: »

How does contact tracing protect the confidentiality of a persons diagnosis? Do they just say you have been in contact with a confirmed case

Yup. They don't give details of who.

wirelessdude01

Gael23 wrote: »

How does contact tracing protect the confidentiality of a persons diagnosis? Do they just say you have been in contact with a confirmed case

Yes.

Solli

Irishdude91 wrote: »

Hi,

Thanks for this information.
A question for you - how long after you completed the online form with the reference number, did you get a text with your appointment?
Filled in it this morning but just wondering what the ballpark time is?

Thanks!

Six hours for me (on Monday)

Quizzical2020

Am I understanding right that to be a close contact officially you have to get a call from the HSE contact tracers? If that's the case do they give you a letter or email or something you can give work to prove that you're a close contact so work doesn't think that you're just taking two weeks off?

Postgrad10

Yes. Although your positive close contact may tell you before the tracers do.

They won’t give you a letter, they say the text from them will do but employers don’t generally accept that so a letter from your GP will do.

Wow. That’s a lot of “do” . Need to sleep

BrianD3

Just watching six one news there with a piece from a contact tracing centre with contact tracers interviewed. Those interviewed were

• A physiotherapist (didn't say whether she was HSE or private)
• A lecturer in radiography (I wonder are they on a lecturer salary or a contact tracer's salary?)
• A retired midwife

A relative of mine had a fall around 10 months ago and should have had numerous physiotherapy sessions since for rehab. Instead, they have had zero sessions and I've been fobbed off everytime I asked the HSE about it. Also had my arse licked "ah sure the physiotherapist wouldn't do anything different than the exercises you are doing with your relative yourself, you're great!" :rolleyes:

In other words, the HSE is outsourcing non Covid healthcare services to family members and amateurs.

I subsequently heard that many HSE physiotherapists had been redeployed to contact tracing

Is contact tracing really the best use of the likes of physiotherapists? Who should be doing contact tracing. The HSE has had months to organise themselves. It's not just the HSE either, there are staff in the wider public service who must have little to do due to the effects of lockdown, have they been redeployed effectively. There was lots of talk about this back in March/April and I know people who were worried about being redeployed but they never were.

JPup

I think it's more the case that physiotherapists can't work as normal due to Covid restrictions, so they might as well make themselves useful as contract tracers.

P.S I know one lady personally who is doing contract tracing and she is a retired nurse.

Beasty

Threads merged

BrianD3

JPup wrote: »

I think it's more the case that physiotherapists can't work as normal due to Covid restrictions, so they might as well make themselves useful as contract tracers.

There is absolutely a need for physiotherapists to work as...physiotherapists. In the community. It is classed as an essential health service. People haven't stopped falling, injuring themselves and needing rehab just because of Covid.

In my own case, were it not for the exercise that I've been doing with my relative, they probably would not have the mobility to use the toilet or get out of bed without assistance. Given that the HSE won't provide homecare either, that also ends up as my job. Alternatively my relative could just go into a Covid riddled nursing home :rolleyes:

Knowing what the HSE and wider public service is like (from personal and professional experience) I can pretty much guarantee that there is shambolic management and allocation of resources and possibly nepotism happening too. E.g. physios doing contact tracing while awkward and useless managers sit on their arses with SFA to do.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/almost-300-000-essential-therapy-appointments-missed-in-first-half-of-year-1.4425897

Another thing that struck me about last night's contact tracing report was the "Glass Palace" centre that they were working in. Looks great for PR and no doubt would impress some. Can contact tracing not be done from home with a phone and laptop? As I said in the other post, the HSE has had months to organise this, this isn't March 2020 when we were in panic mode. Or is the HSE always in panic/reactive mode.

Minier81

The example of the physiotherapist contact tracer is quite likely someone who can not work in patient contact at the moment, ie has a risk high condition.

Kat1170

Minier81 wrote: »

The example of the physiotherapist contact tracer is quite likely someone who can not work in patient contact at the moment, ie has a risk high condition.

No, no, no. It's that damned public service again. Do keep up old boy/young lady.

Mrs OBumble

BrianD3 wrote: »

A relative of mine had a fall around 10 months ago and should have had numerous physiotherapy sessions since for rehab. Instead, they have had zero sessions and I've been fobbed off everytime I asked the HSE about it. Also had my arse licked "ah sure the physiotherapist wouldn't do anything different than the exercises you are doing with your relative yourself, you're great!" :rolleyes:

So ring a private physiotherapist and make an appointment. They're all open.

BrianD3

Minier81 wrote: »

The example of the physiotherapist contact tracer is quite likely someone who can not work in patient contact at the moment, ie has a risk high condition.

That might be a good explanation were it not for the fact that I was already told (by a current HSE employee and a retired HSE physio) that physios had been redeployed to contact tracing. Maybe there's a particularly high prevalence of high risk conditions amongst physios?

Add to that the fact that I have been fobbed off on at least 10 occasions when trying to get ONE session. Told them I'd go private if they couldn't provide the service, "oh no, no need for that, Mary the physio will give you a call". Predictably, the call never came. This was going on last summer when Covid cases and hospitalisations were a small fraction of what they are now.

Add to that the fact that I worked in the public service for many years and suspect that I know how it functions (or rather doesn't function) better than most. Poor customer service, chaos and lack of empathy for "service users" - all endemic.

Minier81

BrianD3 wrote: »

That might be a good explanation were it not for the fact that I was already told (by a current HSE employee and a retired HSE physio) that physios had been redeployed to contact tracing. Maybe there's a particularly high prevalence of high risk conditions amongst physios?

Add to that the fact that I have been fobbed off on at least 10 occasions when trying to get ONE session. Told them I'd go private if they couldn't provide the service, "oh no, no need for that, Mary the physio will give you a call". Predictably, the call never came. This was going on last summer when Covid cases and hospitalisations were a small fraction of what they are now.

Add to that the fact that I worked in the public service for many years and suspect that I know how it functions (or rather doesn't function) better than most. Poor customer service, chaos and lack of empathy for "service users" - all endemic.

The likes of physios, speech and language therapist and many other were all redeployed to contact tracing initially. However I thought that when there was direct recruitment of contact traces over the summer I thought most of them were back in clinical roles. It's awful that this meant that clinical staff were still contact tracing until sept when number were so low over the summer. They do need a certain number of contact tracers with clinical experience though.

Interesting point about how many are risk risk.... a huge portion of the general is high risk,something like 30 % but a much smaller portion are very high risk. In January the hse did make all pregnant workers stop working on site, ie had to work from home. A pregnant physio may well have been redeployed again to contact tracing from home. Giving this example as it is a predominantly female profession.

Have complete sympathy with you for not being able to access the service you need. A friend of mine had similar difficulties accessing speech and language for her very sick child. It's just awful the impact this has all had on our health service. And alot of the cutback to services will lead to bigger problems in future unfortunately.