A widow says her NHS worker husband died after “unfathomable guidance” left him exposed to Covid.
Father-of-three Peter Hart contracted the virus as he and thousands of NHS colleagues were denied personal protective equipment (PPE).
At the start of the pandemic only those directly in contact with Covid patients were handed the vital gear.
An inquest, attended by SurreyLive, heard Pete, 52, who worked in A&E at East Surrey Hospital, caught the virus at work on “the balance of probabilities”.
And in a rebuke of government policy, Surrey coroner Dr Karen Henderson said: “Retrospectively it is difficult to comprehend why the national guidance said PPE did not need to be used for all patients and health workers at the earliest opportunity.
“Patients not suspected to have Covid were not expected to wear masks. In effect, a perfect storm.”
She recorded a verdict of natural causes, caused by Covid. Pete’s inquest is among the first of 2,500 NHS workers who died from Covid.
Widow Helen, 54, said: “We find it unfathomable the guidance didn’t require frontline workers to wear masks.
“Pete retrained to do a job he loved and paid for it with his life.”
Government policy dictated only staff dealing with known Covid cases should be masked. Rules for all frontline staff to wear masks were eventually issued on April 14 – when Pete, from Redhill, Surrey, was on a ventilator.
He died weeks later, on his birthday. Daughter Lauren, 25, and son Daniel, 26, had worked with him. Daniel, a doctor, said: “Why staff weren’t offered protection is hard to believe.”
An inquiry into the pandemic response starts next year.
