12 nurses on same team struck down with coronavirus
TWELVE nurses on the same team were at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak.
The nurses - who are all members of the out of hours nursing team at Mill Hill Health Centre in Dalton - were struck down with symptoms in April. It is understood all are still off work self-isolating.
But the case has only just come to light with a trade union leader calling for an investigation into how it was managed.
Unison’s Yorkshire spokesman, Gary Cleaver, says community health provider Locala, who run the health centre, had not reported the potential dangerous outbreak through the normal health and safety systems that alert the NHS.
He said: “In my opinion, Locala have tried to cover this up.
“Our members have raised serious concerns regarding a failure to take measures to minimise the risk associated with Covid-19 in their workplace.”
He said Locala urgently needed to track down everyone the 12 nurses had come in contact with and have them tested.
“These were out of hours nurses, they are coming into contact with lots of vulnerable people,” he added.
Mr Cleaver said following a meeting with Locala officials on Thursday he was of the opinion that they did not have robust safety measures in place to protect staff and minimise the risk of a breakout spreading.
The union says that when the company became aware of the outbreak, it failed to take steps to stop the disease from affecting the wider community.
Mr Cleaver said: “A cluster of 12 staff working in the same team and all suffering Covid-19 symptoms is a major concern that demands urgent attention.
“Locala has been slow to react to the outbreak, slow to report it and slow to take measures to protect patients, staff and the community. The Health and Safety Executive must review and overhaul the company’s poor practices urgently.
“Locala should immediately work to trace everyone that the workers, who are now self-isolating, came into contact with and ensure they’re tested.
“Every effort should be made to contain the spread of the virus and reduce any risk to patients, staff and their families.”
Julie Clennell, Locala’s Director of Nursing, Allied Health Professionals and Quality, said: “We are immensely proud of the way our colleagues have responded to the challenges that Covid-19 has brought to health services and how they have continued to provide high quality care for our communities.
“As always colleague and patient safety is our top priority. We reject any suggestion we have not followed national guidance throughout on both our response to confirmed cases among colleagues and more generally in terms of social distancing and provision of PPE to help keep colleagues and patients as safe as possible.
“As with all other frontline health organisations providing NHS services in the community we have seen some confirmed positive Covid-19 cases among our colleagues, although the number of reported cases within Locala has been low.
“Those colleagues who showed symptoms immediately self-isolated and stopped any work with our patients in the community, in line with national Public Health England guidance. There is no evidence that any patients who those colleagues have come into contact with have contracted the virus.”