Concern over Covid patients in Nuneaton

The Hospital trust which runs George Eliot Hospital is working with Public Health England and Warwickshire County Council to try to find out why the number of cases is increasing. 

They will look at whether more people are arriving with a positive test or whether they are testing positive after arriving in hospital. 

Director of Nursing at George Eliot Hospital, Daljit Athwal said: “The safety of our patients and staff is our priority so that’s why we are concerned to see a consistent, significant number of patients with Covid-19 in our hospital. In partnership with colleagues in Public Health England and NHS England/Improvement we are investigating the factors that could be behind this.

The hospital remains operational and safe for patients to attend their appointments and we continue to follow national guidelines on infection prevention and the use of PPE on our site. We urge all patients visiting the hospital and those in the local community to strictly follow the Government’s guidance on social distancing and handwashing.”

The leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Julie Jackson said: "I have been increasingly concerned about what appear to be a significant number of patients with COVID19 in the George Eliot Hospital and have sought clarification on the factors that could be behind this.

I am aware that investigations are on-going into the many factors which contribute to increased numbers and that this data is being analysed to understand what action might be required and it is reassuring to know that the hospital remains operational.

The safety, health and well-being of our community takes precedence over anything else and I continue to urge residents to follow Government guidance on hand washing, social distancing, gatherings and the use of face masks to reduce the rate of any transmission.

My priority is to protect our community and make sure we have all the relevant information to do so. "

It comes after two local MPs wrote an open statement regarding the concerns and encouraging people to continue to socially distance and keep washing their hands. 

Marcus Jones MP for Nuneaton and Craig Tracey MP for Bedworth said "We must all avoid becoming complacent – Covid19 has not yet been defeated but it is in retreat.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have maintained regular contact with George Eliot Hospital, Warwickshire Public Health, the County Council along with other authorities as appropriate.

It is important that we work together to continue to ensure that we do everything we can to support a community that has more underlying health issues as a result of our industrial past, which make the Covid issue more challenging. 

We welcome the work being done by the Hospital, Public Health England, NHS England and Warwickshire Public Health to look at ways in which the situation in our area can be further improved.

We understand that any suggestion there are more deaths locally than in neighbouring areas will cause alarm and obviously every death is a tragedy, so our sincere condolences go to the family and friends of those who have passed away due to Coronavirus. However, it is important to be clear that the trend in the numbers of cases in our area is downwards.

There is no evidence to support the suggestion that more people in Nuneaton and Bedworth are declaring symptoms of Covid19 but, as we said above, we cannot be complacent which is why it is important that we closely follow Government guidelines, frequently wash our hands thoroughly and maintain social distancing."