Police investigation into false claims of ‘quiet’ Covid hospitals

POLICE have launched an investigation after a woman took photos inside Queen Alexandra Hospital and falsely said it was not busy with Covid-19 patients.

It comes after i mages were posted under a Facebook profile of Hannah Dean claiming that the Cosham site was the ‘quietest’ she had seen it.

Mark Cubbon, chief executive at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, previously branded the posts as disrespectful to hard-working staf f looking after 342 Covid patients.

But yesterday the same Hannah Dean Facebook profile page posted images inside St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester and Southampton General Hospital, claiming they date from January 4.

Her latest claims include that ‘these hospitals are not under pressure,’ and she is now purporting to be a freelance jour nalist.

NHS England figures, due to be updated on Thursday, showed Wester n Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had 96 Covid patients as of 8am on December 29. The trust running Southampton’s hospital had 110.

Wester n Sussex said the images were ‘misleading’ and ‘i naccurate’ and added they are ‘highly disrespectful’.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said the incident relating to QA Hospital had been reported to of ficers.

Initially police said there had been no Covid-19 breach under there Health Protection Re gulations.

But now the force has said it has received new infor mation and will send officers to the hospital for reassurance.

The spokeswoman said: ‘New infor mation in relation to this i ncident has been brought to our attention, and we will be l ooking into what, if any, of fences have been committed. Officers will also be attending the hospital to provide reassurance.’

It comes after a woman from Stroud was arrested after filming at Gloucester Royal Hospital and said it was ‘completely dead’.

Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt has said society must be ‘ on our guard’ against t hose not following advice and who have ‘their own agenda'.

She told The News: ‘Be in no doubt we are in an extremely serious situation. Healthcare is under unprecedented strain.

‘I think the vast majority know that and are making huge sacrifices to reduce t hat strain until we can vaccinate the most vulnerable.

‘There are people with their own agenda who want us to believe otherwise and not follow the public health advice. We should be on our guard against that.’