HSA conducting 14 ‘preliminary investigations’ into healthcare worker deaths

The Health and Safety Authority is currently carrying out 14 “preliminary investigations” into deaths of healthcare workers following Covid-19 infection, a spokesperson has informed the Medical Independent.

Separately, the State Claims Agency has confirmed that one claim has been made against the HSE in relation to a healthcare worker fatality arising from Covid-19 infection, which was allegedly acquired in the workplace, and a further claim has been received in regard to infection of a healthcare worker.

In relation to patients and residents, one claim has been made against the HSE pertaining to Covid-19 infection
and five claims in regard to deaths. Three of these five claims relate to private nursing home deaths.

More than 28,000 healthcare workers have had a confirmed Covid-19 infection, according to data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. As of 10 April, over 777 had been hospitalised, 100 admitted to intensive care, and 17 had died. Healthcare assistants and nurses constitute the main proportion of cases.

Not all healthcare worker infections would have been acquired in the workplace and personal injury solicitors believe that establishing causation may prove difficult in many cases.

See news feature, Have healthcare workers been negligently infected? – Medical Independent