Overview
The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for delivering public health services across Ireland, encompassing over 100,000 personnel. In early 2020, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges, making the HSE the central hub for national healthcare responses.
Covalen, a trusted outsourcing partner with 25 years of experience, stepped forward to provide innovative solutions and ensure the success of a number of health initiatives during this critical period.
Background
In the face of rapidly escalating Covid-19 cases—soaring from hundreds to over 7,500 in a matter of weeks—the HSE faced immense pressure to enhance public health capabilities, particularly in contact tracing.
This process is vital for identifying and notifying individuals who may have been exposed to the virus, thereby curbing its spread.
The Challenge
To effectively respond to this crisis, the HSE established Contact Tracing Centres (CTCs) aimed at bolstering national contact tracing efforts. Recognising the need for scalability in operations, they sought an outsourcing partner to augment their capacity swiftly.
Covalen’s reputation for rapid scaling and deployment of skilled personnel made them the ideal choice.
The Solution – Rapid Deployment
Covalen was selected as the outsourcing partner, successfully scaling operations to deploy 100 trained agents within just three weeks. This rapid response facilitated a comprehensive contact tracing system, crucial for managing the public health crisis.
By enhancing capacity for real-time needs assessment and issue identification, Covalen contributed significantly to the effectiveness of the HSE’s health initiatives.
Service Implementation
Covalen’s services included:
- Call 3 Support: Sending text notifications to close contacts.
- Call 2a Support: Collecting information on individuals who had close contact with confirmed cases.
- Call 4 Support: Conducting follow-up check-ins with close contacts to provide ongoing health advice.
When the HSE required a shift from Call 3 to Call 2a support, Covalen swiftly retrained staff, successfully implementing the new service within 24 hours. Subsequently, Covalen expanded support to include Call 4, ensuring thorough follow-up for citizens post-contact tracing.
EXPANDED SERVICES – Vaccination Registration and Helpline
As the vaccination effort progressed, Covalen was called upon to support the HSE's Covid-19 Vaccination Helpline. This initiative included assisting citizens under 69 with registration difficulties and addressing appointment-related inquiries, significantly enhancing the efficiency of the vaccination process.
Key Outcomes
- Established a Covid-19 ready operational capacity for up to 200 contact tracing resources.
- Grew the contact tracing team to over 200 tracers, 5 Clinical Leads, and 10 Management Leads within months.
- Supported 3,000 calls in the first month, escalating to 19,000 by month three for contact tracing.
- Facilitated vaccination support, increasing from 20,000 calls in the first month to 84,000 by month three.
- Covalen's agile scaling and service adaptability empowered the HSE to effectively respond to fluctuating demands throughout the crisis.
Through this partnership, Covalen demonstrated its exceptional capacity to scale quickly and efficiently in response to a public health emergency, reinforcing its role as a vital ally in the management of Ireland's healthcare challenges.
