Shropshire inpatient coronavirus screenings 'missed'

Inpatient coronavirus screenings were missed at a hospital trust and contributed to a spate of outbreaks on wards, a report has said.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital trust said tests were supposed to happen on the day of admission and the fifth day after, but were "missed in some areas".

Nursing director Hayley Flavell stated some patients were "moved before the screening result was known".

An action plan is in force following the outbreaks.

An Infection Prevention and Control Report is due to go before the trust's board on Tuesday.

Ms Flavell wrote that 10 wards were among the areas across The Princess Royal Hospital (PRH), Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) sites that saw Covid-19 outbreaks in October and November.

The action plan included a review of PPE use and practices, "proactive and reactive staff and patient screening" and "enhanced cleaning" measures, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In a separate report, trust chief executive Louise Barnett said the organisation and its regional partners had "experienced severe pressures".

She said: "(These have been) due to both the onset of winter and the escalating numbers of Covid patients attending hospital which, at one stage during wave two, stood at over 80 positive patients.

"The number of patients who are Covid-positive has now reduced."

As of 16 November, there were 72 Covid-positive patients; 39 at the PRH and 33 at the RSH, the report said.

Outbreaks on wards related to both patient and staff cases with only one of the three identified staff outbreaks resulting from a breach in social distancing, Ms Flavell added.

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