NHS Test and Trace call handler leaves voicemail message of them 'having SEX' on phone of Covid sufferer
A father has described his shock after a voicemail message from NHS Test and Trace left on his phone appeared to show the call handler 'having sex'.
William Ryan, from Basildon, Essex, missed a call from NHS Test and Trace after testing positive for Covid-19 on a PCR test.
But when Mr Ryan listened to the message that had been left by the call handler on his phone he was horrified to discover a series of noises that appeared to show the member of staff engaged in sexual activity, BBC Essex reports.
Mr Ryan said he looked up the number to ensure it was a legitimate Test and Trace number before making a complaint.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who is in charge of the Test and Trace system, has said they are investigating the matter and talking to the employment agency who hire call handlers.
William Ryan, from Basildon, Essex, missed a call from NHS Test and Trace after testing positive for Covid-19. (Stock image)
Mr Ryan told BBC Essex: 'They rang me quite early so I was still asleep as I was ill. Then I woke up to a voicemail.
'I didn't recognise the number so I listened to it and I was disgusted with what I heard on the voicemail. I looked up the number to see who it was and it came back with the Test and Trace number.'
During the call Mr Ryan described hearing two people in conversation with each other before a series of sounds were heard.
He continued: 'Two people were talking and then the two people were having sex really. It was like someone is basically having a good time on a professional call.'
Mr Ryan added: 'I was quite shocked I had to listen to it around three or four times and I sent it to a few people and was like ''am I hearing right?''
'Everyone I sent it to said ''yes definitely it is what you're saying it is''.
A week later Mr Ryan received a call from the same number and decided to make a complaint.
He was put through to a senior member of staff who asked Mr Ryan to email the voicemail clip and provide a screenshot of the number.
Mr Ryan has now described the incident as 'unprofessional' and said he 'just wants an apology'.
He said: 'It's unprofessional. I know people are working from home. I'm working from home myself and I've got kids and stuff.
'If I have a phone call come through I will either step in my garden or out in my shed where it's quiet.'
He added: 'I just want an apology really and truly.'
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said they are investigating the matter and talking to the employment agency
Mr Ryan has now been told he will have to wait 25 days as the UKHSA investigate the matter.
He added: 'I wouldn't think in a million years this would ever happen to someone like me.
'Someone leaving that sort of a voicemail on my phone.'
In October, a damning report by MPs claimed the £37billion NHS Test and Trace service had been an 'eye-wateringly expensive' failure and had failed to break chains of Covid transmission, prevent lockdowns or enable people to return to a more normal way of life.
The organisation, previously led by former TalkTalk boss Baroness Harding, also had 'muddled' objectives, the Public Accounts Committee said.
Spending on Test and Trace was equal to nearly a fifth of the 2020/21 NHS England budget.
Just 45 per cent of testing capacity was used between November 2020 and April 2021, and at times as few as 11 per cent of contact centre staff were being utilised.
The programme was championed by the then Health Secretary Matt Hancock, whilst Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as 'world-beating'.
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