How are we managing the pandemic in Wales?

Test, Trace, Protect (TTP), Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Vaccinations are words and phrases we hear a lot now. We examine public services’ response to the challenges in each of these areas in our upcoming reports.

Test, Trace, Protect

TTP is a crucial part of the Welsh Government’s approach to limiting the spread of COVID-19 and reducing the need for restrictions on people’s lives.

Our report provides a high-level overview of what has been, and continues to be, a rapidly evolving programme. We have reviewed documents, interviewed staff in health boards, local authorities, NHS Wales Informatics Service, Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government.

We’ll be publishing our report on the TTP programme later this week.

Personal Protective Equipment

In December 2020, we published an update and some emerging findings about PPE procurement from our work.

In our upcoming report, we look at the procurement and supply of PPE to Welsh public services during the COVID-19 pandemic and focus on the national efforts to supply health and social care. These efforts have been led by the Welsh Government, working with partners in the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (Shared Services) and local government.

We are currently finalising our report with a view to publishing it in early April.

Vaccinations

We will publish an initial commentary on the roll out of the vaccination programme in the next couple of months.

It will consider progress against the key milestones identified by Welsh Government and the different factors affecting the achievements of those targets. It will also consider some of the challenges and opportunities for the vaccination programme as we go through 2021 and beyond.

The TTP and vaccination programmes need to continue to evolve, alongside the production of PPE, to ensure we remain focused, as a nation, to keep the virus in check.