Responding to the report by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) into COVID-19 transmission in hospitals, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin, said:

“Throughout the pandemic trust leaders have demonstrated their willingness to learn and adapt as our knowledge and understanding of the virus has developed.

“This report from HSIB draws on the experiences of trusts, staff and patients with a welcome focus on learning, to try to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission on hospital wards.

“We agree about the need for greater clarity on the development and communication of guidance.

“HSIB is also right to emphasise the importance of improved testing capacity for staff, and to point out the challenges that additional infection control requirements place on the NHS estate. Unfortunately this has highlighted yet again the impact of years of inadequate capital investment.

“The report also rightly highlights the potential consequences of staff fatigue and emotional distress. In our recent survey of trust leaders 99% said they were concerned about current levels of burnout across the workforce.”