The chief executive of Hillingdon hospital in West London, which has now closed its A&E unit following an outbreak of COVID-19, has blamed its staff for not wearing masks at work
The hospital that serves Boris Johnson’s constituency in north-west London has stopped allowing patients to attend its accidents and emergency department or accepting any new emergency admissions on Tuesday after, following 70 members of its staff having to self-isolate.
Hillingdon has had to request that the London ambulance service take patients from the area to other hospitals in West London due to the number of its own staff who have now had to be quarantined, meaning the hospital has too few health workers to provide the necessary full range of services.
This comes after Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, is set to announce a £2 billion “kickstart scheme” later to help create more jobs for young people in the UK.
Sarah Tedford, the hospital’s chief executive, has blamed the coronavirus outbreak on “irresponsible” staff not abiding by the rules of wearing a mask while at work, as all NHS staff in England are now required to do, as well as standing or sitting too close to each other when at work.
In a message to staff last Friday, the day the outbreak began, Tedford said: “All the way through this [pandemic] we have followed national guidance and it has kept us safe. So what is happening now?”
“I am told some of you are not wearing appropriate masks and you are not adhering to social distancing.”
“If you do not follow the guidance, we cannot keep you safe. I don’t like wearing a mask, but it would be irresponsible of me not to do so. Please think very carefully about what you are doing and ask yourselves if you are keeping yourself safe and if you are keeping each other safe. This is no time to be complacent: we are not out of the woods yet.”
She then added: “Can I please remind you to take responsibility for yourself and your team and help us all beat Covid-19? The lockdown is being lifted. Please ensure we play our part in not spreading Covid-19 and leading by example.”
Tedford continued by saying: “This is such a serious matter, and at the moment I’m afraid some of us are not demonstrating the behaviour we should be. If you see someone not adhering to the guidance, please remind them of their responsibilities. We all need a little nudge at times.”
This comes after thousands of headteachers throughout the country are urging ministers to prevent a potential mental health crisis among students who have missed months of learning.
In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Hillingdon hospitals NHS foundation trust said: “An outbreak of Covid-19 was declared on Friday 3 July 2020. As of Tuesday 7 July, 70 members of staff are now isolating, a number of whom have tested positive for Covid-19.”
“As a result, the trust has taken the precautionary decision to close Hillingdon hospital to emergency ambulances and emergency admissions. The trust is managing the outbreak in line with Public Health England guidance.”
