NHS Test and Trace
Firms with no history of supplying the products they were paid for, a business linked to Brexit lobbyists, and a dormant company were among the beneficiaries.
The change in guidelines comes after HuffPost UK revealed elderly people were forced to lie about symptoms so they could be tested and admitted.
NHS volunteer responders across England will also take part.
"There’s an awful lot that still needs to be done" or England faces a "big problem" in winter, Chris Hopson told MPs.
Some 6,000 tracers will be redeployed to local schemes to try and identify more people carrying coronavirus.
Weekly testing of pupils and teachers could be necessary in order to keep coronavirus transmission rates down, the children's commissioner says.
Week after week, the service misses its targets on speed and effectiveness. Here's what's wrong with the government's flagship coronavirus programme.
“The overall percentage of contacts reached has been declining since Test and Trace began,” a government report admits.
Study finds schools can only reopen safely with scaled-up testing, contact tracing and isolation.
New TV ad blitz aims to dispel fears among some Asian communities that they will be charged for testing.