Tameside Hospital acquired Covid-19

During the pandemic our NHS has done an amazing job in unprecedented circumstances, but as we face new corona related restrictions and an autumn of unease catching the coronavirus in hospital could now be a real concern.

Recent media reports have stated that an outbreak at Tameside General Hospital has led to a small number of deaths by nosocomial infection – that is transmission of the virus within the hospital.

“Tameside General Hospital has recently hit the headlines with covid-19 deaths which have been caught in hospital and that is of course a worry for all patients and their families,” said medical negligence paralegal, Daniel Phelps.

On admission to the hospital patients are required to be tested for the virus and (upon diagnosis) to be isolated from the general patient population. There are also additional safeguards required to be in place to mitigate transmissions such as the use of PPE, hand washing and the reduction in the number of visitors.

“Everyone needs to continue to be personally vigilant and not rely on others,” warned Daniel Phelps. “If hospitals do not adhere to the strict recommendations of NHS England and their own local protocols, they are likely to become hotspots for Covid-19.

“The majority of the general public who contract the virus will experience symptoms for a period of time and recover, however in hospital is a high concentration of people with severe comorbidities, contracting the virus whilst, for example, suffering from a respiratory disease or battling cancer can have devastating consequences.”

“Hospitals and their staff have been doing an amazing job tackling the virus but now more than ever vigilance is essential. Part of their duty of care is to minimise the risk of infection by following the guidance set out by the NHS, failures to adhere to this guidance can cause potentially avoidable deaths.”

If you believe that you or a loved one has been affected by nosocomial infection of Covid-19 please do not hesitate to contact us.

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