The Department of Health has today welcomed the publication by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust of the final report into fatal Covid-19 outbreaks in Craigavon Area and Daisy Hill Hospitals in 2020.
The report is available on the Department of Health's website.
The SAI investigation had been announced in the Assembly by the former Health Minister, Robin Swann MLA, in September 2020, and an independent expert panel was established by the Trust, chaired by Dr Guduru Gopal Rao, a Consultant Microbiologist from the London North West University Trust. The panel’s draft report was received by the Trust and the Department in September 2021 [https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/draft-report-covid-19-clusters-and-subsequent-deaths-received] and shared with families impacted by the outbreaks.
The Department would like to thank the panel, Trust staff and families for their valuable contributions to the important learning identified in this report, which contains helpful recommendations for strengthening infection prevention and control measures as well as the systems for overseeing and ensuring best practice across Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.
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