Sixth of Covid hospital cases were NHS staff or their families

‘It is vital that we understand the risks for healthcare workers and their families’

NHS staff and their families accounted for one in six patients in hospital with Covid-19, due in part to inadequate PPE, research has suggested.

A study of hospitals from March to June revealed that healthcare workers in patient-facing roles were around three times more likely to be admitted themselves with the virus than the general population.

Writing in the BMJ, the study’s authors called for an urgent focus on how Covid-19 spreads around hospitals to prevent a similar toll in future waves of the pandemic. They also called for hospitals to consider re-deploying staff with vulnerable family members away from high-risk zones.

The Glasgow University team examined data from 158,445 healthcare workers in Scotland aged 18-65, and 229,905 of their household members.

Healthcare workers and their households accounted for 17 per cent of all Covid-19-related hospital admissions, even though they represented just 11 per cent of the working-age population.

Those working in “front door” roles, such as paramedics and A&E staff, were at the highest risk of hospital admission for Covid-19. Among the healthcare workers admitted to hospital, one in eight were admitted into critical care, with a 2.5 per cent overall mortality rate.

Of the household members admitted to hospital, one in five went to critical care, with an overall mortality rate of 13 per cent.

The study noted that only a very small proportion of staff – five in all of Scotland – who were working in intensive care were admitted to hospital with the virus.

The authors suggested this was because they were wearing adequate PPE, but that many patient-facing staff working in other parts of the hospital system were not.

David Mcallister, a University of Glasgow public health doctor, said: “It is vital that we understand the risks associated with Covid-19 for healthcare workers and their families, and not just for their own health, but also so that we can protect and plan for the workforce in the future.

“This work helps us to do that. It highlights that whilst the risk for many healthcare staff is similar to that of the general population, there is higher risk to some staff. Knowing this can help us to take action to protect those staff at greatest risk.”