Lack of protocol led to a spike in Covid
THE FIGURES REVEAL HOW MANY COVID CASES CAME FROM HOSPITALS
DOZENS of Covid outbreaks have occurred at Burton’s Queen’s and Royal Derby hospital due to a lack of social distancing in break rooms, car sharing without protective equipment and patients not wearing masks.
A report from the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust reveals there has been 26 Covid outbreaks since January.
Alongside the overall increases in patients with Covid, there were also spikes in the number of people contracting the virus while in hospital receiving care for other ailments. It says the number of outbreaks reported each month also increases and decreases in line with community transmission and the number of admissions to the trust.
With each outbreak, the trust worked with a wide range of health officials to support infection control and identify risks. The trust says: “The rate of nosocomial infections – in-hospital infections – was minimal between
March and November
2021, but has risen sharply in December in line with increased community transmission of the Omicron variant.”
Graphs compiled by the trust show that through March and April there were spikes in the number of Covid cases confirmed to have been contracted within hospitals, with around 10 cases in certain weeks
through March and April there were spikes in the number of Covid cases confirmed to have been contracted within hospitals
during that time. Alongside this, the trust has charted the number of outbreaks per week, with six in the week starting January 10 and six in the week starting March 7, with two outbreaks in several weeks. The trust said its infection prevention team reviews all probable and definite associated cases to ensure the appropriate measures are in place, to establish what additional measures are required and to escalate to an “outbreak” as needed. It says the following issues and required improvements were found:
■ Social distancing for staff when out of patient areas, particularly break rooms, changing rooms and handover rooms
■ Car sharing without appropriate personal protective equipment
■ Meeting outside of work without maintaining appropriate risk mitigation
■ Patient mask-wearing Mask-wearing in office areas
■ Cleaning of touch points, particularly with wandering patients High focus on effective cleaning of the environment and equipment of the ward
The trust said a “learning through outbreaks” poster has been developed and shared across its facilities. These facilities include Queen’s Hospital in Burton, and the Royal Derby Hospital, reports Derbyshirelive.