Contact tracers unable to log on to new system as it runs into trouble minutes after launch

The contact tracing portal went down minutes after launching
CTAS
Ewan Somerville28 May 2020

The Government's contact tracing system ran into problems this morning minutes after its launch as it was branded a "complete shambles" by those trying to log on.

Some 25,000 contact tracers were due to start work this morning on the first day of the national rollout of the NHS test and trace programme.

But, when some logged onto the Contact Tracing Advisory Service (CTAS) portal, they were met with an error code, LBC reported.

The error read: "We are aware of a CTAS login issue for NHS professionals; this has been reported as a critical incident."

The contact tracers are making phone calls, texts and emails to track down people who have tested positive and those they have brushed with.

The contact tracing system is beginning a national rollout 
AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Health and Social Care denied that the system had crashed.

A spokesperson said: "As with all large scale operations of this kind, some staff did initially encounter issues logging on to their systems and these are rapidly being resolved."

Officials added that members of the public can still access the separate NHS Test and Trace portal to book a test if they develop symptoms.

The call handlers will inform people who have contacted an infected person to self-isolate for 14 days.

They were due to start at 9am by reaching out to the 2,013 people who tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.

But one told LBC this morning that it has been a "complete shambles" so far and claimed he had not received a password to log on.

Chris Hopson, head of NHS Providers which supplies all NHS hospitals, community and mental health services, said the Government must "manage expectations" and "stop pretending that everything is going to be fantastic on day one".

The Heath Secretary laughed off suggestions he had rushed the launch earlier 
Sky News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said on Wednesday that the system relied on "on people’s public spiritedness, on their willingness to cooperate and defeat the disease.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Brits that it is their "civic duty" to take part in the programme and laughed off suggestions it had been rushed through to deflect from the Dominic Cummings row.

But its launch came amid warnings that "very key parts" of the programme, like the accompanying NHSX tracing app, were still missing while MPs now say they understand that the system will not be fully operational until the end of June.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT