Masks reintroduced at hospitals over rise in Covid

Last week 108 inpatients had Covid-19, which prompted the return of mask wearing

A hospital trust has made wearing masks mandatory again following a rise of patients infected with Covid-19.

Since Monday patients, visitors and staff have been required to wear masks in clinical areas unless exempt at Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital, Stafford.

The University of North Midlands NHS Trust said the policy was reintroduced due to multiple variants circulating and noticing an increase of positive tests during June.

The trust's risk assessment process was triggered last week due to having 108 inpatients with the virus.

A statement on the trust's website said the guidance would be regularly reviewed and updated based on the prevalence of the infection.

It added: "Entrances to all wards and clinical areas will have masks and hand gel available for staff, patients and visitors to wear."

People who have respiratory illness have been asked not to come in to shield themselves.

'Right thing to do'

Anne Marie Riley, chief nurse at Royal Stoke, told BBC Radio Stoke that while masks have been reintroduced, visitors have not been restricted as in line with previous Covid rulings.

She said: "We monitor Covid rates weekly and have done since the start [of the pandemic].

"It hasn't ever gone away completely and we have a risk assessment process which was triggered for us last week."

She said at Royal Stoke, hospital staff were isolating those who have tested positive in side rooms and there were two wards that were currently full of Covid patients.

"It's tricky - we want to get to a position where we don't keep reverting back so we monitor figures every week.

"It's the right thing to do to protect everybody so hopefully it won't be for very long."