Hundreds of hospital staff isolating following close contact with coronavirus

380 UNWELL OR OFF HAVING BEEN PINGED BY COVID APP

HUNDREDS of workers at the hospital trust covering Burton are having to self-isolate after coming into contact with coronavirus.

The University of Derby and Burton NHS Hospital Foundation Trust says as of Monday almost 400 staff were absent due to Covid-19 in some form.

This included staff contracting the virus, those showing symptoms or having been ‘pinged’ by the Test and Trace app which alerts people who may have come into contact with someone who has the virus.

A total of 380 staff at Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Hospital Burton are absent, the trust has now said.

A spokesman said: “We have seen a rise in the number of colleagues sick and self-isolating as a result of Covid-19 in recent weeks as lockdown measures have eased

“Covid-19 prevalence in the community is increasing, and as our staff are also part of these communities this is why we, as many other NHS settings, have kept in place restrictions across our hospitals to keep our colleagues, patients and visitors safe by limiting the spread of infection.

“As of Monday, July 19, there are 380 colleagues at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton currently sick or absent due to Covid-19.

“These numbers include those who have a confirmed Covid-19 diagnosis, those who are symptomatic, those who’ve been in contact with a positive case or who have members of their household displaying symptoms.” There are problems at Alstom (formerly Bombardier) too, which employs people across Burton and South Derbyshire, with dozens off work after receiving a ping.

A spokesperson for Alstom said: “As with many employers we have seen self-isolations rising, but this has not yet become a critical problem in terms of our operations.

“In Derby from a headcount of 2,000, we currently have 45 self-isolations.” Rolls-royce, another huge firm employing people from across the area, also confirmed it has to “adapt” due to staff self-isolating but could not give a figure of those self-isolating. A spokesman for the engineering firm said: “We have had to adapt when employees have had to isolate like many businesses as per Government guidelines. “However, more than 9,000 production employees in the UK have been working at our sites for the majority of lockdown to ensure the ongoing operation of key manufacturing facilities. “During this time, we have introduced new ways of working including split shifts, rotas, additional cleaning and more physical dividers to protect our employees, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.”

We have seen a rise in the number of colleagues sick and self-isolating as a result of Covid-19 in recent weeks.

NHS Trust