NHS Scotland has started testing its contact tracing software, with a two-week pilot across health boards in Fife, Lanarkshire and the Highlands.

If these are successful, the plan is to roll-out around the country by the end of the month.

The Scottish Government’s ‘test, trace and isolate’ approach to the Coronavirus involves identifying cases of people contracting the virus, finding those they have been in close contact with, and asking those people to self-isolate for 14 days.

This is in contrast to the English approach using an app to support contact tracing, with the emphasis on the software supporting teams of manual tracers.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Individuals are encouraged to report those who they were in contact with, however professional contact tracers can then trace people through a variety of routes - this might include contacting transport companies or taxi firms or trying to trace professional contacts."

The statement explained that "individuals can be confident that the information they give is held securely by the NHS, for a time-limited period, and not used for any purpose other than the one for which they gave the information", adding that over 600 additional staff are being trained to use the software.

“Technology will be an important tool to help us move towards the test, trace, isolate and support approach and safely exit lockdown,” said Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman.

“The software we are developing in Scotland is built on a tried and trusted platform and will allow us to carry out contact tracing on a much larger scale than has been necessary until now - it will also focus on supporting public health teams identify outbreaks and reduce transmission in high risk groups and settings by making it easier for staff to collect and record information."

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