Covid: Shropshire hospitals 'discharging patients who then infect their families'

Heather Kidd had been contacted by worried residents

Patients with coronavirus have been discharged from a hospital and infected family members, a councillor claimed.

Heather Kidd said a woman in south Shropshire told her that her husband had been "sent home with Covid".

She initially found evidence of four cases but said those were the "tip of the iceberg" with more coming to light.

The medical director of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said they were following guidelines, but would look into the "concerning" cases.

Ms Kidd, a Liberal Democrat member of Shropshire Council, said the daughter of one of the patients who was discharged was a teacher who had been unable to go into school after she contracted the virus.

"There was a gentleman sent home on end-of-life care and he picked up Covid," said Ms Kidd.

"On the way home, his son-in-law was told 'oh, by the way he's Covid-positive'. Both he and his wife, who are NHS workers, then got Covid.

"On top of that, we have a very irate family in the Bishop's Castle area whose father was sent home with Covid... and he contracted it there.

"His diabetic wife has then been admitted to hospital and the son, who is also diabetic, is also ill with Covid."

A fourth patient who tested positive was discharged to a care home, she said.

"This is really not acceptable. I need something done very quickly so we don't get any more cases like this," she added.

The trust said it would investigate the cases

Ms Kidd said since she first spoke out, she had been contacted by a number of people who have had Covid-positive family members discharged from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal in Telford back into their homes.

Arne Rose, the medical director at SaTH, said there was now a "special swab squad" testing patients every 24 hours as opposed to every 48 hours.

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He said some patients, who after 28 days of their first positive Covid test were no longer considered infectious, would be the subject of a "careful risk assessment".

They could then be discharged with advice on self-isolating at home.

"The cases... sound concerning," Mr Rose said, adding he would investigate to "learn if anything went wrong."