A man who was ill with Covid-19 was shocked to receive what appeared to be an inappropriate voicemail message from an NHS Test and Trace call handler.

William Ryan, from Basildon in Essex, missed a call from the service after testing positive for coronavirus on a PCR test.

But when the dad listened to the voicemail he was horrified to hear a series of noises that sounded like the caller was having sex, BBC Radio Essex reports.

Mr Ryan said: ‘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.’

Mr Ryan described hearing two people talking before a series of inappropriate sounds were made.

‘Two people were talking and then the two people were having sex really,’ he added. ‘It was like someone is basically having a good time on a professional call. 

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‘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.”‘

Mr Ryan, who received another call from the same number a week later, said he double-checked the phone number to make sure it was from a legitimate NHS Test and Trace line before making a complaint.

He was asked to send through an audio clip of the voicemail and a screenshot of the phone number.

Mr Ryan called what happened ‘unprofessional’ and said he ‘just wants an apology’. 

He added: ‘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.

‘I just want an apology really and truly.’

Mr Ryan was told he would have to wait 25 days for the results of the investigation.

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.’

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which runs Test and Trace, said staff are investigating the matter.

A spokesperson said: ‘We have received a complaint from a member of the public relating to a voicemail message received from an NHS Test and Trace call handler.

‘UKHSA contracts external service providers to deliver this service and expects high standards of all contracted staff at all times.

‘We are investigating the matter jointly with the employing agency and have additionally written directly to the complainant.

‘We will ensure this service provider takes any action necessary following the investigation, and we will continue to work with all our service providers to ensure high quality services are delivered at all times.

‘The tracing service has contacted 27 million people since the beginning of the pandemic and helped to detect 9.4 million cases of Covid-19. We take the service provided by our contact tracing contractors very seriously.’

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