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Doctors lacking PPE 'bullied' into treating COVID-19 patients

Doctors in Britain are being “bullied and shamed” into treating patients with COVID-19 despite not having the masks, gowns and eyewear they need to protect themselves from the virus, frontline medics have said.

Others are being told to hold their breath to avoid getting infected because of persistent shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) .

The findings raise questions about how far a huge effort by NHS bosses, ministers and the military has succeeded in banishing previously widespread supply problems with PPE.

“Lack of personal protective equipment continues to be a critical issue. It is heartbreaking to hear that some staff have been told to simply ‘hold their breath’ due to lack of masks,” said Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, the president of the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK).

“Doctors are dying. Nurses are dying. We are devastated, and can no longer stand by and watch as more dedicated colleagues lose their life,” she said.

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Source: The Guardian, 7 April 2020

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Doctors issue warning after spike in ‘freebirthing’

Doctors have warned of the risks of “freebirthing” – where a woman gives birth without the help of a medic or midwife.

Unassisted births, or “freebirths”, are thought to have been on the increase since the start of the Covid pandemic, when people may have been worried about attending hospitals and home births were suspended in many areas.

The practice is not illegal and women have the right to decline any care during their pregnancy and delivery. Some women hire a doula to support them during birth.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said women should be supported to have the birth they choose, but “safety is paramount” and families need to be aware of the risks of going it alone.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said it is in the early stages of collaboration with the Chief Midwifery Officer’s teams, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Department of Health to better understand professional concerns about freebirthing and what organisations may need to do.

Its statement on unassisted births supports women’s choice, but notes that “midwives are understandably concerned about women giving birth at home without assistance, as it brings with it increased risks to both the mother and baby”.

It also states that women need to be informed that a midwife may not be available to be sent out to their home during labour if they change their mind and wish to have help.

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Source: The Independent, 8 February 2024

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Doctors in row with HSE over claims children's transgender care is 'unsafe'

A number of doctors have claimed a service under which adolescents with gender dysphoria can be given puberty-suppressing hormone blockers is "unsafe" and must be immediately stopped, but their concerns were suppressed.

The service is provided in Ireland by flying in two clinicians from an NHS trust in London to run clinics at Crumlin Children's Hospital. But the Irish Independent has learned at least three doctors working in the gender area expressed grave concerns over the service provided by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust at Crumlin.

The concerns over standards of clinical care and governance were raised at a meeting of doctors and hospital officials in Crumlin last March. These included that children had been started on hormone treatment when they did not appear to be suitable. However, the issues raised and calls by the doctors for the service to be "terminated with immediate effect" were omitted from draft minutes of the meeting.

News of their concerns comes days after it emerged a lawsuit was being taken by a former nurse, a parent, and a former patient against the trust in the London High Court. The action is challenging the clinic's practice of prescribing hormone blockers and cross-sex hormones to children under the age of 18.

The trust has also been hit by a series of resignations by psychologists amid disquiet about the alleged "over-diagnosis" of gender dysphoria.

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Source: Irish Independent, 3 February 2020

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Doctors in Ebola zone strike over safety fears

Trainee medics battling Ebola in Uganda's virus epicentre accuse the government of putting their lives at risk.

"Most times you come into contact with a patient and you use your bare hands," one worker told the BBC anonymously.

All trainees at Mubende's regional hospital say they are on strike and are demanding to be moved somewhere safer.

But Ugandan health ministry spokesman Emmanuel Ainebyoona told the BBC there was "no strike at the hospital".

Yet all 34 of the hospital's interns - including doctors, pharmacists and nurses - have announced their decision to strike in a joint statement. They say they are being put at undue risk because they lack appropriate safety kit, risk allowances and health insurance.

Six interns at the hospital have already been exposed to the virus, and are awaiting their test results in isolation.

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Source: BBC News, 26 September 2022

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Doctors ignored concerns over seriously ill girl

Doctors ignored the concerns of a seriously ill girl's parents before reducing her pain medication, an inquest has heard.

Melody Driscoll, from Croydon, died aged 11 at King's College Hospital (KCH) in July 2018.

Her mother Karina Driscoll and stepfather Nigel alleged the actions of KCH reduced Melody's quality of life. She told Southwark Coroner's Court that a reduction in painkillers also contributed to her daughter's death.

The family had been in dispute with KCH over the treatment given to Melody, who had several conditions including Rett syndrome, a rare and life-limiting genetic disorder that causes mental and physical disability.

Doctors wanted to wean Melody off painkillers, but her parents objected because the plan went against the treatment regime she had previously been prescribed at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

The court heard Melody suffered from very severe pain, requiring continuous relief, including morphine, for much of her life.

In a written statement read out by barrister Patricia Woodcock QC, Mrs Driscoll said although her daughter could not speak, she made recognisable signs when she was in pain, including tensing her muscles. However, she claimed staff at KCH had a "we know best attitude" and did not listen to her concerns.

"I would say that KCH took a very negative view about Melody, and us as a family, from an early age and, for example, started to believe that Melody's pain behaviours were not in fact expressions of pain but her simply 'acting out'," Mrs Driscoll said.

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Source: BBC News, 22 March 2021

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Doctors have faced “worrying levels of abuse” in past month, BMA reports

New data has revealed doctors are experiencing “worrying levels of abuse” during the Codi-19 crisis. 

In a survey, doctors (51% of respondents) have reported that they have witnessed violence and abuse against other staff, with 67% showing this was particularly high for those working in general practice. 

We cannot let people take out their frustration at a system on individual doctors or their colleagues, who truly are doing their best in the most difficult of situations. Even before the pandemic we were vastly understaffed, and abusive behaviour will drive more and more talented and experienced doctors away from the NHS at a time when we need them most . . . We urge our patients to afford the same compassion to staff that they are shown in hospital, after what has been the most horrific year of our careers.” Said The chair of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, Vishal Sharma. 

Overall results for the abuse questions are here, and broken down by healthcare setting here.

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Source: BMJ, 10 August 2021

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Doctors furious at NHS bosses’ TikTok video showing off gleaming offices

A video of an NHS trust’s flamboyant head office complete with a £1,000 coffee machine, sleeping pods and a “great view” has triggered fury from doctors and nurses.

Barts Health, which covers hospitals in east London as well as St Bartholomew’s in the City, shared a TikTok video of its corporate office in Canary Wharf. The video, which has since been deleted, showed a luxury coffee machine, “wellbeing rooms” on each floor, free snacks and curved computer screens.

However, doctors working at Barts reacted angrily and compared the video with their own facilities.

One junior doctor shared a photo of a cramped locker room in the same trust. They wrote on Twitter: “Bags on the floor as ‘no lockers available for juniors’. This tiny room is the entirety of the space available to get changed into mandatory uniform/scrubs – nightmare at shift changeover.” 

Another shared a picture of their “handmade rest facility” – a row of chairs with paper towels for a pillow.

The British Medical Association’s Junior Doctors Committee said it was “sobering” to see the “no expenses spared” approach in the trust’s corporate office.

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Source: The Telegraph, 11 October 2022

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Doctors forced to work overnight shifts at last minute in NHS staffing crisis

Hospital doctors are being sent home from daytime shifts and told to come back and work overnight in the latest stark illustration of the NHS’s crippling staff shortage.

Medics are having to change their plans at the last minute because hospitals cannot find any others to plug gaps in the night shift medical rota and need to ensure they have enough doctors on duty.

Hospital bosses are forcing last-minute shift changes on junior doctors – trainees below the level of consultant up to the level of senior registrar – because staff sickness and the scarcity of locum medics has left them struggling to ensure patients’ safety is maintained overnight.

One trainee doctor in south-west of England told how they started their shift as planned at 8am. However, “by mid-morning the doctor that was meant to be working that night, that I would hand over to, had called in ill”.

The doctor stopped working at 11am, drove home – an hour away – and came back to work the night shift at 11pm. “By the time I returned I had already worked for three hours and driven for three hours. That’s an extra six hours on top of a busy night shift of 12.5 hours,” they said.

Dr Julia Patterson, the chief executive of EveryDoctor, said: “We are hearing of escalating problems with NHS doctors being forced to work unsafe, unfair hours."

“Patient safety is of paramount importance to all doctors, but this situation is simply not sustainable. When mistakes occur, staff are blamed. But staff are working in an unworkable system.”

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Source: The Guardian, 11 July 2022

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Doctors fear Platinum Jubilee bank holiday will add to hospital waiting times

Emergency doctors in Scotland are “dreading” the Queen’s Jubilee weekend as fears grow that the public holiday will add to long patient queues.

One accident and emergency consultant has pleaded with patients to be considerate to NHS staff as they deal with long backlogs at a time when other workers will be on holiday.

Calvin Lightbody, at Hairmyres Hospital in Lanarkshire, said that the GP out-of-hours service in his region had been so short-staffed they had to send patients to A&E instead of treating the people themselves, adding to the delays in hospitals.

He said a four-day bank holiday weekend, when doctors’ surgeries will be shut, threatened to add to the pressure on “creaking” services.

“If you go to A&E you are going to have a very long wait to be seen, several hours probably,” he said. “Please be kind. Our staff are working extremely hard, they are flat out, they are exhausted, they are doing their best.” He appealed to patients not to delay seeking medical attention if they were seriously unwell including those suffering chest pain, heavy bleeding and stroke symptoms even though services were “overwhelmed”.

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Source: The Times, 1 June 2022

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Doctors fear NHS could buckle in flu season as staff avoid vaccine

The NHS could struggle to cope with a catastrophic flu season after leading medics warned of plunging flu vaccine uptake among its frontline staff.

NHS figures show just 39% of frontline staff had a flu vaccine in November, down from 52% in November 2020.

The worrying statistics mean the already under-strain service could lose crucial staff to illnesses and risk spreading the virus during its busiest winter period.

Speaking to The Independent, Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “We are concerned about staff vaccination against flu. Post-pandemic, there is a certain lack of appetite and there is probably a degree of apathy about staff getting vaccinated against flu, and we think that’s a problem.

“We need to be doing more to get stuff vaccinated against flu.”

He added: “I think societally and as healthcare practitioners, I think we have a moral duty to get ourselves vaccinated so we don't create gaps by going off sick and we don't infect our patients.”

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Source: The Independent, 21 December 2023

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Doctors fear 'tsunami' of investigations over delayed care in COVID-19 pandemic

A poll of members by the Medical Protection Society (MPS) found that 43% of doctors fear investigation if patients come to harm because of delays to referrals and reduced NHS services during the pandemic.

Treatment has been delayed for millions of patients while the NHS has focused on managing the pandemic - with GPs in many areas still unable to refer as normal and even urgent referrals delayed while the UK has been in lockdown. The NHS Confederation has warned that 10 million people could be on NHS waiting lists by Christmas.

Reduced NHS services during the pandemic have left even patients who need urgent treatment or scans for cancer waiting longer. GPonline reported in April that patients had been waiting more than a month for urgent cancer checks - and Cancer Research UK warned in May that 2.4 million patients were waiting longer for scans or treatment because of disruption to services during the pandemic.

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Source: GPonline, 11 June 2020

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Doctors failed to tell father of seven he was terminally ill, investigation finds

A father of seven was not told he was terminally ill by doctors, who instead said he would be okay, an investigation has found.

William Chapman, known as Syd, only found out he had deadly pulmonary fibrosis when his GP, who thought he already knew the prognosis, mentioned it during a phone call.

He died eight months later.

An investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has found doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital showed a "worrying lack of accountability" and failed to keep proper records, engage fully with Mr Chapman's family or learn from mistakes.

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Source: Sky News, 4 December 2025.

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Doctors dismissed these women as hysterical. Now they're fighting back

There’s a memory, or more specifically a moment, that came to define Heidi Metcalf’s second birth.

It wasn’t saying goodbye to her husband and newborn before being wheeled into an operating theatre, or the heart attack she thought she was having as she lay there on the table.

It was when a male obstetrician “ripped the placenta” out of her body, without word or warning.

A nurse, Ms Metcalf knows the intervention - while immensely painful - was necessary. She couldn't push it out naturally, which was causing potentially fatal bleeding.

But she hadn’t “seen or met this man before”, and she can’t get past the fact that her consent, during one of the most traumatic experiences of her life, “meant so little”.

“It felt like a violation - I needed to feel involved in what was happening to my body, and not just like a bystander.”

Ms Metcalf is one of thousands of Australian women who have come forward to tell their stories, after the federal government assembled a team of experts to tackle what it calls “medical misogyny”.

So far, they have uncovered that a staggering two-thirds of females nationwide have encountered gender bias or discrimination in healthcare.

And many say it is taking place when they're at their most vulnerable, such as during intimate examinations, or like Ms Metcalf, while in labour. Others report having their pain dismissed or dangerously misdiagnosed.

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Source: The Guardian, 2 July 2024

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Doctors didn't warn women of 'risky sex' drug urges

Patients prescribed drugs for movement disorders - including restless leg syndrome (RLS) - say doctors did not warn them about serious side effects that led them to seek out risky sexual behaviour.

Twenty women have told the BBC that the drugs - given to them for RLS, which causes an irresistible urge to move - ruined their lives.

A report by drugs firm GSK - seen by the BBC - shows it learned in 2003 of a link between the medicines, known as dopamine agonist drugs, and what it described as "deviant" sexual behaviour. It cited a case of a man who had sexually assaulted a child while taking the drug for Parkinson's.

While there is no explicit reference to this side effect in patient leaflets, the UK medicines regulator told us there was a general warning, external about increased libido and harmful behaviour. GSK says a risk of "altered" sexual interest is also referred to in the leaflets.

Some of the women who described being drawn to risky sexual behaviour told us they had no idea of what was causing it. Others said they felt compelled to gamble or shop with no history of such activities. One accumulated debts of more than £150,000.

In a statement, GSK told the BBC Ropinirole had been prescribed for more than 17 million treatments and undergone "extensive clinical trials". It added the drug had proven to be effective and had a "well-characterised safety profile".

"As with all medicines, [it] has potential side effects and these are clearly stated in the prescribing information," it said.

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said that while a specific reference to "deviant" sexual behaviour is not included in warnings, such impulses vary and a general warning about activities which may be harmful is included.

It also said that it is important for healthcare professionals to explain the possible risk to patients and not all experience these types of side effects.

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Source: BBC News, 11 March 2025

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Doctors declare ‘lack of confidence’ in trust board

The medical body at Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust has written to the trust’s chair saying that it is unable to provide safe care and expressing a lack of confidence in the board.

The letter, which has been seen by HSJ, is signed by 140 of doctors at the mental health provider. It claims the trust’s “clinical services are unable to provide good basic care and are unsafe”.

Significant criticism is reserved for the trust’s senior management, with the letter stating “there is a general dysfunction with perpetual changes of key staff in executive posts and ever increasing layers of management” and that “major decisions are frequently made by a handful of people at an executive level without clinical consultation”.

The letter continues: “Doctors are by and large used as clinical workhorses. Many carrying huge workloads and holding unacceptable clinical risks”.

The letter, first revealed by BBC Look East, asks for an urgent meeting with the chair and states that the medical body “lacks confidence in the executive board to resolve the plight of NSFT”.

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Source: HSJ, 10 August 2022

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Doctors cry out for investment after survey finds GP access is top priority for patients

GPs say they “can’t carry on doing more with less” as a survey finds being able to see a doctor is the top concern Britons have about the NHS.

Polling done for the Health Foundation by Ipsos on NHS priorities found 38% of people wanted it to be easier to get a GP appointment, above improving A&E wait times (33%), improving NHS staff retention by making working conditions better (29%) and improving public wait times (27%).

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs said it was “no surprise” that better access to GP appointments was the main priority for the public.

“GPs want this too and it’s as frustrating for us as it is for our patients when they struggle to access our care; but this is the result of years of under-funding and poor workforce planning,” she said.

“As it stands, GP teams are already delivering more consultations than ever before – 367 million last year, more than a million per day – and more complex care, but with only a handful more qualified GPs than in 2019. This isn’t sustainable.

“General practice is the bedrock of the NHS, we make up the vast majority of patient contacts and in doing so alleviate pressures across the entire health service. But we can’t carry on doing more with less - without substantial investment in our service, and initiatives to recruit and retain more GPs, some patients will continue to struggle to access our care.”

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Source: The Independent, 25 February 2025

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Doctors confirm ‘corridor care’ crisis as 80% forced to treat patients in unsafe spaces

A new snapshot survey by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) highlights the worsening crisis in NHS hospitals, where a lack of capacity is pushing vulnerable patients into undignified and unsafe conditions.

The survey gathered responses from almost a thousand (961) physicians across the UK, spanning a wide range of specialties - including cardiology, respiratory medicine, and general internal medicine - who report firsthand the challenges of delivering care in temporary spaces.

The findings show that 78% of respondents had provided care in a temporary environment in the past month. Of the 889 respondents who gave further details on where this care was delivered, locations included corridors (45%), additional beds or chairs in patient bays (27%), wards without dedicated bed space (13%), waiting rooms (9%), another location not designed for patient care e.g. bathroom (4.5%).

The consequences of treating patients in unsuitable spaces are severe. 90% of doctors reported compromised patient privacy and dignity, while 81% faced physical difficulties delivering care. Additionally, 75% struggled with access to vital equipment or facilities, and 58% saw patient safety directly compromised. The impact on doctors themselves was also significant, with 61% reporting increased personal stress.

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Source: Royal College of Physicians, 26 February 2025

Further reading on the hub:

The crisis of corridor care in the NHS: patient safety concerns and incident reporting 

Patient Safety Learning's response to RCN report: on the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis

How corridor care in the NHS is affecting safety culture: A blog by Claire Cox

A nurse's response to the NHSE guidance on their principles for providing safe and good quality care in temporary escalation spaces

A silent safety scandal: A nurse’s first-hand account of a corridor nursing shift

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Doctors claim major infection control ‘deficiencies’ at region’s hospitals

Research by a group of doctors has found ‘major deficiencies’ around infection control within hospitals in the North West region.

The study looked at trusts’ adherence to Public Health England guidance around limiting the spread of COVID-19 within orthopaedic services.

The study found patients were routinely being allocated to hospital beds before they had been confirmed as covid-negative, “thus allowing spread of COVID-19 not only between patients but also between nursing and medical staff”.

Fewer than half of patients were nursed with the appropriate screens in place, while it was uncommon for doctors to be tested regularly.

Separate statistics published by NHS England suggest almost 20 per cent of new covid cases in North West hospitals from August to December were likely to be nosocomial, meaning they were acquired on the wards.

This was a higher proportion than any other region.

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Source: HSJ (paywalled), 16 December 2020

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Doctors call on NHS to offer women more help after first miscarriage

Women who lose a baby during pregnancy should be offered help after having one miscarriage rather than the three currently needed to trigger NHS support, doctors say.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) wants the NHS to overhaul its rules so that any woman who suffers a miscarriage receives some form of care, mainly information and guidance, to help them cope with their loss and plan future pregnancies.

Anyone who has two miscarriages should automatically be offered an appointment for an initial investigation at a specialist miscarriage clinic and a more in-depth exploration of their health after losing a child after conception three times, the college says in a new medical guideline.

“Miscarriage is a distressing, shocking and traumatic experience for many women and their partners. For too long the topic has been under-researched and the care for women and their partners under-resourced,” said Dr Edward Morris, the president of the RCOG.

“We believe women should access appropriate and standardised care after their first miscarriage and that is why we are endorsing the graded model for miscarriage care in this guideline.”

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Source: The Guardian, 19 October 2021

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Doctors call for return of face mask guidance

Doctors have warned the decision to remove face mask guidance in healthcare settings is "playing Russian roulette" with staff and patients' welfare.

It was withdrawn in May in hospitals, dentists and GP surgeries having been in place since June 2020.

Doctors from the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland condemned the decision at the time.

Now, the Scottish Healthcare Workers Coalition has written to ministers to highlight the "very serious flaws" in changing the guidance.

The group is made up of Scottish healthcare workers who worked throughout the pandemic and are now living with long Covid or another chronic post-viral illness or disability.

In the letter, the coalition states the updated guidance is not based on the science of coronavirus transmission and "represents a flawed and dangerous decision which will result in more infection in health and social care settings".

Dr Shaun Peter Qureshi, of the Scottish Healthcare Workers Coalition, said: "At-risk patients have entirely legitimate concerns that they may endanger their health by visiting their GP or hospital.

"With at least 4% of NHS staff now living with chronic post-Covid complications, the Scottish government must follow the evidence and improve protections from the airborne spread (of the virus) in healthcare settings, not reduce them."

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Source: BBC News, 17 July 2023

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Doctors call for major incident as hospital 'unsafe'

Senior doctors working at a Glasgow hospital have asked for a 'major incident' to be called this week but had their request declined, BBC Scotland News understands.

Emergency medicine consultants described conditions in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) as "grossly" unsafe with no room to take in new patients on Monday evening.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it has a "robust system" in place to deal with additional pressures which were implemented.

Documents seen by BBC Scotland News describe the whole hospital site at the QEUH in Glasgow as being "completely overwhelmed" on Monday evening.

The emergency medicine consultants said a lack of capacity in accident and emergency left one patient waiting almost six hours in the back of an ambulance with a fractured hip.

At the same time five ambulances were on route and a further 19 expected to attend the hospital.

The document states that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde chief executive Jane Grant was involved in discussions about whether a major incident should be called, but it is believed she declined the request.

The health board say the situation was resolved without involving the chief executive.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said all of its services are under "considerable pressure" with the arrival of winter bringing additional challenges.

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Source: BBC News, 3 December 2024

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Doctors call for action not words from NHS in response to racial inequality report

Health officials have “paid lip service” to racism in the NHS for years, leading black, Asian and minority ethnic doctors have warned as they called for “concrete” action to tackle inequalities exposed by a landmark review.

The damning study – the largest of its kind – had found “vast” and “widespread” inequity in every aspect of healthcare it reviewed, and warned that this was harming the health of minority ethnic patients in England.

In response, an NHS spokesperson said the health service was “already taking action” to improve the experiences of patients and access to services and was working “to drive forward” the recommendations made in the report.

However, Dr JS Bamrah, a consultant psychiatrist in Greater Manchester and national chairman of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, said he was unsatisfied with the response.

“This 166-page review … is a terrible indictment of the current state of the NHS,” he told the Guardian. “As many of us have often said and reported, we don’t need any further reports. It’s action we need, as there are scores of patients who are not getting optimal treatment, and many are being neglected.

“It really isn’t good enough for NHS bosses to say that action is being taken and it’s even more disappointing to then not see any concrete proposals on dealing with glaring disparities despite all that we have learnt during the pandemic.”

Dr Rajesh Mohan, presidential lead for race and equality at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said it was “time for warm words to end” as he urged NHS leaders to “do everything they can to ensure patients from ethnic minority backgrounds get the care they need”.

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Source: The Guardian, 15 February 2022

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Doctors at West Suffolk hospital 'too scared' to report safety issues

Doctors at a hospital accused of bullying its staff have told the NHS care regulator that they are too scared to report lapses in patient safety in case they end up facing disciplinary action. 

The Guardian revealed earlier this week that West Suffolk hospital stands accused by its own medics of secrecy, bullying and intimidation after it demanded they take fingerprint tests in its effort to identify a whistleblower.

Senior staff have privately passed on serious concerns to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about the behaviour of the trust’s leadership. They used confidential meetings with CQC inspectors, who visited twice in the autumn, to explain why they lack confidence in Steve Dunn, the trust’s chief executive, Dr Nick Jenkins, its medical director, and Sheila Childerhouse, who chairs the hospital’s board.

The CQC is due to publish its report into the trust, including the performance of its leadership, in January.

 “Staff are scared that they’ll face disciplinary action [if they raise concerns about patient safety],” said one doctor, who declined to be named.

“As a result of recent events I can’t imagine that anyone at the trust will feel comfortable to speak out or whistleblow in the future. I fear that any future patient safety concerns will not be expressed and will simply be brushed under the carpet.”

The trust demanded fingerprints and handwriting samples after a staff member wrote anonymously to the family of Susan Warby, who died in August 2018 after undergoing treatment at the hospital, which was investigated as a “serious incident”.

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Source: The Guardian, 11 December 2019

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Doctors are concerned about the risk of hospital-acquired Covid-19

People who go to hospital for non-covid treatment are at higher risk of the virus compared with the general public, which is why high levels of hospital-acquired Covid-19 in England are worrying some doctors.

They fear that the coronavirus is becoming a potential hazard of a hospital stay for older or vulnerable people, in a similar way to “superbugs” such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

People who go to hospital for non-covid-19 treatment are at higher risk from the virus compared with the general public, says Tom Lawton, an intensive care doctor in Bradford, UK.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: The New Scientist, 21 July 2022

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