Coronavirus: Daisy Hill and Craigavon Hospital staff 'being tested'

The chief executive of the Southern Trust has said that he is not aware of hospital staff members who have been refused testing for Covid-19.

Eleven patients have died following outbreaks of coronavirus at Daisy Hill and Craigavon Area hospitals.

Shane Devlin said that anyone connected to the outbreaks has been tested.

A draft form of terms of reference for a Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) investigation into the outbreaks at both hospitals has been drawn up.

But Mr Devlin said the trust has yet to confirm a chair in order to officially begin its investigation.

Five patients at Daisy Hill Hospital have died as a result of an outbreak in the hospital's male medical ward, where there have been 13 positive cases.

There has also been an outbreak at the haematology ward in Craigavon Hospital and six deaths have been linked to it.

The chief executive said he was "very aware" of allegations that some staff had not been tested despite requests.

"If staff require to be tested then all staff will be tested and all staff on the male medical ward and haematology have been tested," he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

He said that staff often move between wards and hospitals.

"We are in a pandemic and I cannot guarantee that Covid-19 will not affect anyone in society and I cannot guarantee, because this is a pandemic, that there won't be future hospital patients who have Covid," said Mr Devlin.

"We are doing everything that we can."

Mr Devlin added that 73 staff members in Daisy Hill and 45 connected to the haematology ward in Craigavon Area Hospital are currently isolating.

There were 28 positive tests among staff at Daisy Hill, with 204 people tested.

Health Minister Robin Swann told the Assembly that tests carried out showed there was no link between staff and transmission of the virus.