More than fifty patients died after catching Covid in Cornwall hospitals while being treated for another medical problem, data has revealed.
The findings also show that Cornwall has the sixth highest percentage of Covid deaths across the country where the patient was infected whilst admitted to a hospital.
Figures provided under freedom of information (FOI) laws by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, which is responsible for three primary hospital sites in the county, show that 166 patients ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ contracted the virus while admitted to its hospitals between March 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021.
The Trust said that it experienced “three significant outbreaks in areas where patients had been admitted with pre-existing frailty and co-morbidities which together with a long length of stay made them susceptible to Covid-19 infection”.
Of those 166 people who contracted the virus while admitted, 55 then died either in hospital or at home, meaning that 33 per cent of the total patients who contracted the virus while in one of the Trust’s hospitals later died.
This means that 55 of the 457 (12%) people who died within 28 days of a positive Covid test between this period in Cornwall overall had contracted the virus in one of its hospitals.
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The data says that 67 of the acquired infections across its hospitals were probable infections (within 8-14 days of admission) while 99 were definite infections ( 15 days or more after admission).
The Trust primarily provides services at Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske, in Truro, West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance and St Michaels Hospital in Hayle.
The hospital is also the principal provider of acute, specialist and community healthcare to the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, said that hospital-acquired Covid remains one of the silent scandals of this pandemic, causing many thousands of avoidable deaths.
Up to 8,700 patients died in total after catching Covid-19 while in hospitals across England, according to data from other NHS Trusts.
Royal Cornwall hospitals have the sixth highest percentage of all Covid deaths where a patient was infected in hospital in the country
The Guardian said official figures provided by NHS trusts showed some 32,307 people had “probably or definitely” contracted Covid-19 while in hospital since March 2020, with 8,747 of them dying. The newspaper reported that it received data from 81 of England’s 126 acute hospital trusts.
It said FOI answers revealed that the 8,747 people who died were all in hospital for other medical treatment, such as to have an operation, for care after a fall or the flare-up of a serious illness.
The data includes people who died in hospital and after discharge, and did not distinguish between those who died from Covid, with Covid, or from another condition that could have been exacerbated by the virus – for example a heart attack.
FOI responses revealed that the University Hospitals Birmingham trust had the highest number of deaths with 408. This was followed by Nottingham University Hospitals with 279 and Frimley Health with 259.
Death numbers can be influenced by factors including the size of a hospital, the number of single rooms, its intensive care unit’s capacity, the level of infection among and the make-up of a local population, and infection control procedures.
A spokesperson for Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust said: We have done our utmost to prevent the transmission Covid-19 in our hospitals and have followed national guidance as it has evolved throughout the pandemic.
Despite our efforts we experienced three significant outbreaks in areas where patients had been admitted with pre-existing frailty and co-morbidities which together with a long length of stay made them susceptible to Covid-19 infection.
After our first cases of nosocomial (in hospital) infection our Infection Prevention Team decided to instigate a wider testing strategy than suggested by NHSE/I. This enhanced screening of patients identified further cases in all situations which is likely to have contributed to the Trust having a high nosocomial rate. This allowed for the appropriate placement of patients in attempts to reduce transmission. Analysis and learning from the Infection Prevention and Control Outbreak meetings have been completed have been shared across the Trust.
Covid-19 has had a tragic impact on many people, their families and communities, and our staff, who have worked their hardest throughout the pandemic. We are devastated by the loss of life due to this pandemic and our thoughts are with all those who have suffered as a result. We are determined to continually improve and learn from these events.
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