Local Public Health teams are well placed to spot COVID-19 outbreaks early and stop them spreading.

But we are blindfolded by a lack of data.

To cut through the rhetoric - here's some detail on what COVID-19 data local Public Health teams aren't getting...

(1) We don't get timely data on positive COVID-19 cases - it's usually several days old.

So if cases are rising in your local area, we can't intervene early to prevent outbreaks.

(2) We don't get data on the workplace of those testing positive.

So if an outbreak is emerging where you work - we can't get in early and prevent it from escalating.

(3) We don't get data on the positive COVID-19 cases that the Test & Trace system has failed to get in touch with.

So if you've been in contact with someone who is infected, we can't work locally to help find you and notify you.

(4) We don't get data on why so many positive cases are not being followed up by Test & Trace.

Is the info at testing incomplete? Does it seem to be people in a particular area? Or maybe an age group, ethnicity or language? We know our local population well and could help.

(5) Local public health teams could do so much more to help prevent COVID-19 infections if information was shared with us.

Let's build a system that works seamlessly across national, regional and local levels.

And let's do it soon - because winter is coming.