Covid: Shropshire hospitals 'discharging patients who then infect their families'

Patients with coronavirus have been discharged from a hospital and infected family members, a councillor claimed.

Heather Kidd,  a Liberal Democrat member of Shropshire Council, said a woman in south Shropshire told her that her husband had been "sent home with Covid". 

She initially found evidence of four cases but said those were the "tip of the iceberg" with more coming to light.

The medical director of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said they were following guidelines, but would look into the "concerning" cases.

Ms Kidd said since she first spoke out, she had been contacted by a number of people who have had Covid-positive family members discharged from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal in Telford back into their homes.

Arne Rose, the medical director at SaTH, said there was now a "special swab squad" testing patients every 24 hours as opposed to every 48 hours. He said some patients, who after 28 days of their first positive Covid test were no longer considered infectious, would be the subject of a "careful risk assessment".  They could then be discharged with advice on self-isolating at home.

"The cases... sound concerning," Mr Rose said, adding he would investigate to "learn if anything went wrong."

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Source: BBC News, 7 March 2021