Three-quarters of investigations into why people caught Covid-19 in Welsh hospitals have not started, new figures have revealed. A Freedom of Information request by the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru group found that of the 19,537 investigations only 8.3% (1,619) have been completed, with a further 17.5% (3,142) in progress.
Swansea Bay University Health Board has only completed two of its 3,193 investigations, the least of any health board, while Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB has concluded just four of 3,642. The group claims the findings are "significant" given they were allegedly told a month ago by First Minister Mark Drakeford that the completed reports should be published as a matter of immediacy.
According to a report by Public Health Wales published in May, around a quarter of patients who 'probably' or 'definitely' caught Covid in hospital settings died within 28 days of their positive test. That equates to around 2,400 people. The report also showed that the proportion of deaths where coronavirus was acquired in healthcare settings was consistent with the level in community-acquired infections.
