The UK's COVID-19 inquiry takes a close look at the national government's actions, which have been widely criticised. However, at the local level, the pandemic was managed differently, with the knowledge and expertise of local stakeholders often being ignored. Nevertheless, local public health directors and their partners have implemented fundamental changes. The national system of testing and contact tracing has failed in locations of deprivation and ethnic diversity, failing to reach enough infected people. Many public health directors have therefore created their own local contact tracing services. In Sandwell, the service employed people fluent in the main local languages and removed the dependency on regular internet access. This greatly increased the engagement rate of people who had to isolate themselves. The article also mentions vaccination, but the details are not given.