Hillingdon Hospital Trust 'must improve' infection control

Seventy members of staff from Hillingdon Hospital had to self isolate in July

Inspectors have ordered a hospital in Boris Johnson's constituency to improve infection control procedures.

In July Hillingdon Hospital's Trust shut A&E admissions as 70 members of staff had to isolate following "a number" of positive Covid-19 tests.

As a result the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out checks in August.

The Trust has been told to make immediate improvements to infection control in order to "protect the safety of patients and staff".

Findings from the inspection were due to be published in due course, the CQC said.

Dr Nigel Acheson, the CQC's deputy chief inspector of hospitals, said: "We found a number of concerns relating to infection control and this is why we have taken action to ensure the safety of patients, staff and visitors.

"We have imposed urgent conditions upon the trust's registration and expect the Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to focus on making the required improvements as a matter of priority."

• Inside the London hospital hit by a 'tidal wave' of patients

• Dominic Cummings row doctor donates book royalties

• As summer ends, UK must square up to Covid again

As a result of the inspection, the CQC placed conditions on the trust's registration "to ensure standards of safety".

The conditions required the trust to take a number of actions, which included ensuring social distancing rules were observed throughout the hospital and that personal protective equipment (PPE) was "accessible".

Patient care plans "must consider Covid-19" and the trust has also been required to "put in place an effective system to ensure that there is oversight over the booking of the education centre".

The CQC said it should also be provided with any system put in place to ensure staff were tested for the virus and "fit to work".